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E-mailIn a statement, the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition said that Aquino's endorsement reaffirms his “commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance.”
“The President’s endorsement achieves two things: it removes the main reason why the bill has been stalled in the legislative wringer, particularly at the House of Representatives, and 2. it resolves the “concerns” about the bill that the President has expressed, thereby reducing the danger of a Presidential veto,” the statement said.
The FOI bill, once passed, allows all Filipino citizens to request and have access to most documents held by the government. Aquino, during the 2010 elections, promised to support the passage of this bill once he was elected.
However, last year, the president announced that his administration was not yet ready to support an existing version of the FOI bill, saying that “it might be misused.” He likewise stated that he would include the bill in his priority measures once all sectors concerned have agreed on the limitations and coverage of such law.
“You know, having a freedom of information act sounds so good and noble but at the same time—I think you’ll notice that here in this country—there’s a tendency of getting information and not really utilizing it for the proper purposes,” the president said in a press conference last October.
Aquino-approved version
According to the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition statement, Aquino created a study group to address concerns with the confidentiality of national security matters, the president's frank deliberation with his closest advisers, and the harsh penalties proposed by the bill.
The coalition said that following a consultation with Rep. Erin Tañada, the bill's main proponent in the House of Representatives, the study group came up with “amendments that reflected a better balancing between the President’s concerns and the protection of the people’s right to information.”
Included in these amendments were the inclusion of “national security” and the president's “deliberative process privilege” among the documents that would remain classified as national security excemptions, as well as the changes in the penalties proposed.
While the coalition recognized the possible abuse of the broadened national security exemption, they said that the amendment included specific provisions stating that the exemptions are to be strictly construed, and not used to cover up crime, wrongdoing, graft, or corruption.
They also encouraged the Congress to “consider non-contentious refinements and improvements” but cautioned them from providing a definition of national security as it may invite a presidential veto.
The coalition, meanwhile, lauded the inclusion of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN) in the list of important documents that should be released to the public without the need for request.
Filipino People's Gains
In a tweet, Tañada said that he is hoping that the bill will be approved by the end of the year.
According to the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition's statement, the passage of the FOI bill will mean substantial gains for all Filipino citizens.
“It will impose a uniform and speedy procedure for people’s access to information, thereby removing the wide room for administrative avoidance of disclosing information under current laws,” it said.
It also added that the passage of this bill will free “the broadest amount of non-sensitive information to easy and effective access for the everyday needs of citizens” as well as “introduces a number of better remedies to denial of access and violation of our right to information, including the imposition of substantial administrative and criminal liability.”
View the entire statement here.
View the Aquino-approved version of FOI bill here.
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