Pass FOI Bill now

QUICK and correct action. This is the best and justly deserved path for the House of Representatives to take on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.

Slow and wrong. This is the worst and justly reasonable judgment that Filipino voters would have of the House members, most especially of those seeking reelection in May 2013, should the FOI fail to pass.

Time, the dribble drivel in the House, and an Executive seemingly less than lame in his support for the bill – the odds seem stacked against the passage of the FOI bill in the 15th Congress. This is even as the Senate had passed its version of the bill on third and final reading before Christmas last.

Only nine session days remain from Jan. 21, when lawmakers return to work after a month-long holiday break, to Feb. 6, 2013, after which lawmakers will have another extended break and plunge into election campaign mode. They will have just three more session days in June intended mainly for closing ceremonies, before adjourning sine die to give way to the incoming 16th Congress on June 30, 2013.

Failure by the incumbent House to pass the FOI up to third reading, so it could be submitted to bicameral action thereafter, in the coming nine session days is certain death for the bill in the 15th Congress. Legislative work on the bill will revert to step one yet again in the 16th.

This is why only quick, focused action to pass the FOI bill is the absolutely correct path for the 280-odd members of the House to take, in their last nine session days before the election campaign kicks off.

It avoids wasteful spending of scarce taxpayers’ money on legislative work that often start and end as mere verbal jousts among lawmakers.

It is, most assuredly, also the right thing for the House to do.

The FOI bill implements the state policy of transparency and accountability that the Constitution we Filipinos ratified in 1987 explicitly and fully guarantees.

Passing the FOI bill is thus a constitutional obligation that lawmakers have had to fulfill, to do right by all citizens, from 25 years ago.

Passing the FOI bill is a public good that trumps any and all supposed private concerns that a few lawmakers claim are the reasons why they do not favor FOI and insist on loading it up with right-ofeply (ROR) provision. They have had, they say, fallen victim to negative reporting by the news media.

Lawmakers that they are, they must be well aware of the constitutional principle of “a public office is a public trust,” the very reason why the news media and all citizens must pry and probe, critique and censure, and report news good and bad about issues and events vested with public interest.

Libel laws, codes of ethics, and selfegulation mechanisms are fully observed in most news media agencies. There are no reasons that are writ in law for these few lawmakers opposed to the FOI to now dangle ROR as a precondition to their vote. In this instance, it is clear that to them, ROR is truly just a monkey wrench to kill the bill.

We, the newspapers, television networks, radio stations, online and independent media agencies, and citizen journalists of this nation state here and clearly now our expectations of the House of Representatives: Get back to work, assure a quorum, pass the FOI bill in your last nine session days.

You have all promised and sworn to serve by matuwid na daan, transparency, and accountability in government, and we expect nothing less than clear, concrete results on your promises.

It is election season once more and you are all likely to offer more promises to get elected. But before we vote, we ask you to finish your unfinished business. Start with one you swore to deliver two decades and a half ago: Pass the FOI bill now.