House leaders guarantee approval of FOI bill

The House leadership assured yesterday that it would flex its muscles to ensure the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill that would cover all branches of government.

Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez and House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo “Rudy” Fariñas, both stalwarts of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), said there is no reason for them not to pass the pro-transparency measure into law.

“With President Duterte’s Executive Order implementing FOI in the Executive department, we see no reason for us not to pass the muchdelayed pro-transparency measure,” Alvarez said.

He cited the need to pass an FOI bill that would not only cover the Executive, but also the Legislative and the Judiciary.

“We need FOI that is applicable to all three branches of the government,” he said.

Fariñas cast no doubts that the Lower Chamber will pass a more responsive FOI bill.

Misamis Occidental Rep. Jorge Almonte and Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, former chairmen of the House Committee on Public Information in the previous 15th and 16th Congresses, earlier vowed to work for the passage of the FOI bill.

During the 15th and 16th Congresses, the proposed People’s Freedom of Information Act hurdled the committee level, but has not reached the plenary.

The EO on the FOI covers all offices under the executive branch, including the national government, government-owned and controlled organizations, state universities.

The EO provides that every Filipino shall have access to information, official records, public records, document, pertaining to official acts and transactions.