Senator Ejercito confident FOI bill will be approved by Senate

CEBU, Philippines - The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill will most likely be approved by the senate next month.

This was the pronouncement of Senator JV Ejercito Estrada during a press conference yesterday with Cebu media.

Ejercito expressed his optimism of the FOI's passage in the senate by March since it is now in the plenary and is already being further discussed for necessary amendments.

The concern now is with the House of Representatives, said Ejercito.

"From what I gathered, they are just about to schedule the committee hearings," disclosed Ejercito.

He explained though that he does not blame the past leadership of the lower house since in the first place, the FOI bill was not part of the priority measures by the Malacañang.

"That's why it had a hard time going through congress," said Ejercito.

He hopes though that with the passage of the bill in the senate, the lower house would already push through with the committee hearings.

"I think that the House of Representatives will now be pressured because this early, the senate has already passed," said Ejercito, adding that he hopes President Benigno Aquino III would also certify the FOI bill as a priority measure.

In the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Aquino, Estrada recalled that the president assured of the passage of the FOI although it was not part of the priority bills.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte Jr., earlier assured that the FOI bill will be passed during his term. This, Ejercito said, is a "good sign" of the progress of the bill in the lower house.

The bill mandates all government agencies to disclose information of  public interest and to allow the general public access to data held by government offices.- /ATO (FREEMAN)