FILIPINOS have long desired for a more open and accountable government — a dream that may become reality soon enough.
Gone are the days of secrecy and authoritarianism. President Benigno Aquino has successfully made “Tuwid na Daan” the country’s mantra, to help restore people’s faith in politics and politicians.
After the revelation brought upon by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF or better known as the pork barrel scandal), now is the best time to call for greater and more meaningful participation and accountability in the government — particularly in the allocation of public resources.
Filipinos deserve the truth and efficiency from the government. What’s left is a law to protect it.
Through the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, Filipinos will have access to information regarding the government’s transactions and processes.
President Aquino has already made headway in fighting corruption through transparency in the government. Some lawmakers believe that the FOI bill will institutionalize Aquino’s “Tuwid na Daan.”
If enacted, the FOI bill would grant Filipino citizens access to any information held by a government agency on matters of public concern; state policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest — including documents on government expenditures and the bidding of government projects.
The FOI bill will also provide access to information being used for decision-making or project management, as well as transcripts and minutes of official meetings. The only exceptions would be those classified as “secret” by the government, especially those concerning national security and internal defense.
While the FOI bill is already under interpellation by the Senate, the House Committee on Public Information (under Misamis Oriental Rep. Jorge Almonte) has to harmonize and consolidate the various versions of the bill to meet its mid-February deadline.
The transparency measure has been relegated to the back burner for quite some time now. Other bills such as the Cybercrime law and Reproductive Health law were prioritized before it and the wait may become longer, due to the looming Charter Change (Cha-cha).
House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. earlier said that the House of Representatives may pursue Cha-cha (the House Resolution he filed in the 16th Congress) before the FOI bill. The Charter Change seeks amendments to the “restrictive” economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Belmonte said both mandates are priority measures in the House. He assured that the FOI bill would be passed before his term ends.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has heeded the call of the people.
During the Senate public information and mass media committee hearing on January 28, Santiago said she wants the public to have access to the monthly salaries of government officials (including senators) for serving the Filipino people.
Santiago vowed that she would file an amendment to the FOI bill, to compel government agencies to publish not only the basic salaries but also the allowances and other sources of personal income of all public officials — more particularly, senators like herself.
Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the committee and main sponsor of the FOI bill, welcomed Santiago’s proposals.
Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano appealed to his colleagues to prepare their sets of questions in the period of amendments, in order to allow a swift passage of the transparency measure.
Although it may face a rough road ahead, government officials and Filipino citizens alike look forward to the FOI bill’s passage.
The passage of the FOI bill would entice the general public to become more participative in government affairs and policy-making.
More importantly, it would allow citizens to keep the government in check.
(AJPress)
