Senate hearing on FOI bill set Wednesday

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate committee on public information and mass media will hold its first hearing on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill tomorrow, September 4.

A news release from the office of Senator Grace Poe, head of the Senate committee, said government officials who are confirmed guests include Secretary Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office and Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office.

On the other hand, guests from the media industry include Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas President Herman Basbano, National Press Club President Benny Antiporda, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Multimedia Director Eduardo Lingao and Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility Trustee Vergel Santos.

The academe, meanwhile, will be represented by professors from the University of the Philippines that include College of Mass Communication Dean Rolando Tolentino political science professor Clarita Carlos and Professor Prospero De Vera III of the National College of Public Administration.

Also invited as guests are individuals from various organizations such as the Transparency International-Philippines, Right to Know Coalition, Center for People Empowerment in Governance and the National Union of Journalists.

The FOI bill seeks to institute transparency and accountability in government by ensuring reasonable access to public documents and information.

Along with at least three other senators, Poe has filed the FOI bill in the 16th Congress, saying the measure  is crucial in fighting corruption.

"Ito ang unang sandata natin para malaman kung ano ang nangyayari sa gobyerno. Kung wala tayong impormasyon, wala tayong batayan para umaksyon. Dahil nakakubli ang katotohanan, taon ang binibilang bago natin malaman ang nangyayari--kaya lubhang mahalaga ang FOI," she said in an news release last month.

The Senate hearing on the FOI bill will be conducted in the wake of the P10-billion pork barrel scam, which allegedly  funneled lawmakers' funds to dummy non-government organizations and ghost projects.