Poe ‘happily adjourns’ public hearings on FOI
Sen. Grace Poe “happily adjourned” on Thursday the final public hearing on the proposed Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, expecting the chamber to approve the proposal by the end of the year.
Poe, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, said representatives of various government agencies have already gave their comments and proposals on improving the bill.
“Masaya ako na tapos iyong ating public hearings. Napakinggan na natin ang iba’t ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno at kanilang mga opinyon at lahat sila ay suportado iyong FOI,” Poe said in a press interview.
Poe said she hopes to see the passage of the bill by the end of the year.
“Maisusumite na natin ito. Hindi mailalayo ito sa bersiyon na naipasa sa Senado at umaas akong maipasa ito sa katapusan ng taon,” Poe said.
The committee maintained “there has to be a clear segregation of national security matters that would be rightfully disclosed and those that should be kept confidential for being highly sensitive.”
Poe said the right to privacy of the citizens is equally important as the right to information, adding that there is a need to balance the two constitutionally protected rights.
“Karapatan ng tao na magkaroon ng pagrespeto sa kaniyang privacy. [Tulad ng] health records, ‘di naman kailangan isiwalat pa yan sa publiko. Kapag private ay ‘di naman kialangan ilahad pa,” Poe said.
Government agencies may need to push for two FOI manuals for the people and for the agencies, Poe added.
The committee held its first pubic hearing last Sept. 19.
Meanwhile, Sen. Joel Villanueva encouraged government agencies to establish user-friendly websites where the public can access government information easily.
Villanueva stressed it is imperative that the FOI be passed in the 17th Congress, having been a pending bill for 28 years.
“I am hoping and praying na this is the right congress na magpapasa nitong FOI. [I’m] looking forward in ensuring in this 17th congress, we will see this FOI as a republic act,” Villanueva said.
In 2002, Villanueva, then party-list representative of the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption, filed a bill on access to information.
During the 16th Congress, the FOI bill was passed by the Senate, but not in the House of Representatives.
Executive order on FOI
During the first public hearing, Poe said the executive order (EO) on FOI signed by President Rodrigo Duterte is not enough to institutionalize the bill, saying that the EO covers only the executive departments and agencies.
The President signed the EO on FOI last July 23, two days before his first State of the Nation address.
The FOI will mandate the disclosure of public documents.###
