House aims for passage of FOI bill

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives will try to approve the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill next month, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

“I personally am in favor of this bill and we will try to pass it when we resume session in January after our Christmas break,” he said.

He said he does not expect the FOI measure to be as controversial as the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, though many of his colleagues have questions about it.

Yesterday, the House opened plenary consideration of the proposed FOI law with Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, who chairs the public information committee, delivering his sponsorship speech.

He said the bill seeks to carry out the constitutional provision giving the public access to official information, including contracts, transcripts of meetings and other documents.

However, he said such provision also states that access is “subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.”

He said the bill requires the mandatory disclosure of the annual budgets of government agencies, itemized monthly collections and disbursements, summary of income and expenditures, procurements, contracts, and persons or entities given permits, licenses or franchises.

It also mandates the disclosure of the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth of the president, vice president, Cabinet members, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, members of constitutional commissions, and military officers with the rank of general.

The measure covers all agencies of government, including local government units and state corporations.

Evardone said the bill provides for certain information to be exempted from the disclosure requirement.

He said such information includes those relating to national defense and security, minutes, advice given and opinions expressed during decision-making or policy formulation, drafts of orders, communication classified as privileged in legal proceedings, information whose disclosure would violate a person’s right to privacy, and information obtained by congressional committees in closed-door hearings or sessions.

The Senate has already approved its version of the FOI bill.