House to pass FOI bill during Noy’s term – Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. assured the nation that the House of Representatives will pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill before the end of President Aquino’s term on June 30, 2016.

“The FOI bill will pass during PNoy’s watch,” he said in a television interview.

While the Senate has already passed its version of the bill, the House version is still with the committee on public information.

The committee remains stuck with determining what matters would be exempt from the disclosure requirement under the bill.

Among the information proposed to be outside the coverage of the bill are closed-door Cabinet discussions, ongoing military and police operations and sensitive national security and foreign affairs issues.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr., one of the authors of the FOI bill, has told reporters that the public information committee was already 50 percent done with the proposed exemptions.

In the wake of the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam in which scores of lawmakers had been linked, many House members suggested that the FOI bill include a right of reply provision.

But authors said the right of reply must be embodied in a separate bill.

Sorsogon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona, who is supporting the FOI bill, said President Aquino’s decision to include it among his legislative priorities should hasten its approval.

He said a Freedom of Information law would help  institutionalize the reforms on good governance, transparency and accountability that the administration has undertaken.

“It will equip the media and the people in general with the tool for inquiring into government actions, decisions and transactions even after the President’s watch to ensure that these are legal and aboveboard,” he said.

He said the need for such a law has become more imperative, given the apprehensions of many sectors that Aquino’s successor in 2016 might reverse the good governance reforms the President has put in place.

“It will help in great measure in keeping the country on daang matuwid,” he said.

While Belmonte was optimistic with the approval of the FOI bill, he was not as hopeful with the passage of the measure that seeks to ban political dynasties.

It would be difficult for the House to pass the latter during the current 16th Congress, he added.