Celebrating the international anti-corruption day today, CIBAC Party-list Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva calls on Congress anew for the immediate passage into law of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.
“On this special day, we renew our call for the swift passage of the long-overdue FOI bill. The passage of the FOI law is the most appropriate response to all the corruption scandals and exposes that shocked us in the past months and years. If we will not pass this now, we have already missed the point of it all. We will easily and immediately backslide to that miry clay of corruption again,” Rep. Villanueva said.
“Questionable budget insertions, ghost projects and substandard infrastructures will be easily spotted by a watching public. This is the most opportune time to give birth to this legislation. The FOI law will give life to the principles of transparency, accountability and people empowerment which are the best antidote to corruption in the government. No administration, even how well-intentioned, can fight corruption alone. The insatiable appetite for stealing in the government can only be counter by the perpetual oversight of an informed, empowered and vigilant citizenry. That is the gap the FOI bill will address,” added the CIBAC
CIBAC Party-List has been championing the FOI bill since 2002. This 20th Congress, CIBAC files House Bill 634 or the People’s Freedom of Information Act.
The bill creates the legal presumption in favor of access to information. Mandatory disclosure is the general rule and there is only itemized exceptions. Among those which shall be open to the public are asset declarations of officials, procurement contracts, bidding processes and results, government loans and guarantees, program of works of infrastructure projects, to name a few.
Information relating to national security, diplomacy, law enforcement, privacy, and trade secrets are exempt only if properly justified. Otherwise, courts may override in favor of public interest.
The bill also prescribes the statutory procedures as well as time line in accessing government information. Requests must be answered within certain number of days.
Any violation of the bill will be meted with fines and/or administrative and criminal prosecution.
“For decades, corruption has persisted not because we lack laws, but because we lack access. Every corruption scandal shares the same pattern: the public learns of the stealing post-factum, only after the fact; it does very little to prevent it. The FOI bill is a potent preventive weapon, the missing piece in the country’s anti-corruption arsenal,” underscored the CIBAC solon.
“Ako po ay nananawagan, iregalo po natin ito sa ating bayan, ipasa na po natin ang FOI bill,” Bro. Eddie emphasized.
Since 2003, the United Nations has designated December 9 of each year as the International Anti-Corruption Day to raise awareness about corruption and its effects and the need to fight it.
