Passage of FOI to give Aquino, Congress boost in ratings, says Baguilat President Aquino and the House of Representatives should get a significant boost in their slumping trust ratings once the Freedom of Information bill is passed, said Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat. Baguilat lauded Aquino’s pledge during a recent gathering of private sector and government representatives with the World Bank to have the long-delayed FOI bill passed before his term ends in 2016. “This pledge to have the FOI bill signed into law before his term ends should help hasten deliberations in Congress,” said Baguilat, one of the champions of the FOi bill in the House of Representatives. “Now that President Aquino has said that he explicitly wants it, there is no reason for legislators to unnecessarily delay approval of the bill by the technical working group,” he added, “I believe the trust rating of P-Noy and the even the House of Representatives will surely rise if the FOI passes, especially in light of recent scandals.” Baguilat stressed that the passage of the FOI will help institutionalize transparency and accountability in government since the citizens will have access to needed information to make sure, for example, that taxpayer money is spent as budgeted. The representative of the lone district of Ifugao recently lead the sign-on activity in Ifugao and in Baguio to rally support for the FOI bill as part of the nationwide sign-on campaign to bring home the point that the FOI will benefit all citizens who are one in the fight against graft and corruption. The FOI bill seeks to make it easier for the public to access public documents, especially those related to bidding of government projects as well as the allocation of government spending. This way, there will be greater transparency in government affairs and the way that taxpayers’ money is being spent. Baguilat, a member of the House Committee on Public Information, has been working with other FOI champions to consolidate the various versions into one bill to expedite its approval in the 16th Congress. He has always said that the bill has to be passed to contribute to the continuing campaign for greater transparency and accountability in government. Baguilat said he would continue to work with non-government organizations committed to the FOI such as the Right to Know Right Now coalition and the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development to galvanize public support for the FOI.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 07:57:37 +0000
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