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FOI essential for a modern democracy
THE PUBLIC rejoiced when President Duterte signed an executive order providing Filipinos access to documents pertaining to government projects and related matters. But that’s just an EO covering the executive department. What’s Congress doing? It should pass a law on Freedom of Information (FOI), too, to strengthen transparency and accountability in government.
The President’s EO proves his commitment to restoring the people’s faith in government. Congress should do no less. We have to ensure that this system of transparency is institutionalized and exercised by all government offices — national and local, executive, legislative, and the judiciary — and in succeeding administrations.
The right to information is constitutionally protected under Article III, Section 7 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court even upheld the enforceability of this right. However, its effective implementation has, for the past two decades, suffered from the lack of the necessary substantive and procedural details that only Congress can provide.
An FOI law is needed to keep the long overdue legislative obligation of Congress. The law must be expansive scope in terms of government agencies as well as information covered. It should give opportunity and the right for citizens to counterbalance and override recognized exceptions when there is greater public interest in information disclosure. It should have a clear, uniform and speedy procedure for access to information.
We need an FOI law that lays out the mechanisms to promote a culture of openness within government. Freedom of information is an essential prerequisite for a modern democracy. Transparency in the public sector enables our people to engage in meaningful participation, promotes accountability, and mitigates corruption, which has long been a major obstacle to our development.
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