Recent revelations of a multi-billion pork barrel scam has intensified calls for Congress to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. But despite these calls, the government is wary of the bill. The Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media held its 1st hearing on the controversial bill and already the government expressed its concerns. Leading calls for the passage of the bill were members of media. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) Chairman Malou Mangahas said the bill will not only benefit media but all citizens. “We take this stand not because we want FOI to benefit the media or journalists alone. We want FOI to benefit all the citizens. The spirit and bearer of the constitution says FOI should be transparency in the best interest of the citizens and not from the point of view of the leaders,” Mangahas said. Also present during the hearing were representatives of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas and the National Press Club who made recommendations for the bill. The NPC said bills should be more specific when pertaining to which information should be released to the public. It added that discussions during an executive session should not be excluded from the bill. Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media Chair Senator Grace Poe said she is confident that the bill will be passed in the 16th Congress given the public clamor. Poe cited the case of the United States where convictions of graft cases nearly doubled when its FOI law was strengthened. "Marami po ang naniniwala at umaasa na ang FOI law ang sagot sa problema sa mga maling nakasanayan. This is because many people believe that the long term or strategic solution to this corruption problem is by making government records and transactions accessible and available to the general public. Basically, the Freedom of Information Act seeks to apply the sunshine principle in government, sikatan ng araw, that we need to expose all public transactions to the sunshine of public scrutiny,” Poe said. Senator Sonny Angara, the sponsor of the bill, meanwhile said transparency should be institutionalized so that it can continue even after President Aquino steps down in 2016. The FOI will also benefit the poor, he added. "Hindi coincidence na karamihan sa mga pinaka-transparent na bansa ay yan din yun pinakamayaman bansa sa buong mundo. We are not talking about mayaman in terms of GNP dahil minsan yung GNP nadidistort—mayaman nga yung bansa marami namang mahirap sa loob ng bansa. We are talking about countries na mayaman ang mga mamamayan kasi ginagastos ng pamahalaan ang pera para sa mamamayan.” Angara cited Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark which prospered because of the transparency. But the Palace officials expressed concerns on what government information should be made public. Malacañang presented its own version of the FOI during the senate hearing. Presidential Communications Group Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III identified several concerns of the Palace, among them the protection of privileged executive communications and financial information if it will prejudice government’s ability to transact business. Quezon also pointed out, the government has never enjoyed so much transparency as much as now based on information available online and thru its various line agencies. “All of us in the government can take pride that in the past 3 years, government is a lot more transparent than ever before. The question is will it be institutionalized. As much as possible information data and reports involving public funds should be automatically disclosed both on a national level and on the level of government agencies,” said Quezon.The Department of National Defense (DND) agreed with the Palace. Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said state secrets, particularly those containing sensitive details which may affect national security, should remain confidential. “State secrets specifically sensitive national and defense matters must be kept confidential and deemed privileged information. It is highly imperative that this matters be strictly kept from public access and only availed of by policy and decision makers whose assessment are vital to national security interest,” said Batino.The department also supports the exemption for private information of public officials. But the DND vowed to actively participate in the creation of new laws that will push the public’s right to information. “The department favors the move to provide for effective mechanisms that may allow access to certain information with national security implications to both chambers of congress through executive session,” he added. The Justice Department meanwhile stressed the importance of balancing the public’s right to information and the rights of the government Justice Assistant Secretary Zabedin Azis said there are situations when releasing specific information may not be beneficial to the public. “There is really a need to balance the right of the public as well as the right of the government and we believe that there are some information that are best being kept in the hands of the governance and government and should not be divulged in public because it would work against the interest of the public,” said Azis. He also questioned the applicability of the bill in cases of state emergencies. The FOI bill seeks to institute transparency and accountability in government by ensuring access to public documents.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 02:54:58 +0000
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