PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledged to safeguard Freedom of Information (FOI), recognizing its benefits in the government’s fight against misinformation and deception.
“I reiterate our call not only to the executive branch, but to all branches of government, to genuinely uphold and give effect to the people’s freedom of information in the course of our day-to-day operations, with good faith and with openness,” he said at the 14th Edition of the International Conference of Information Commissioners in Pasay City on Monday, June 19.
Actually, his predecessor, President Rodrigo Duterte, issued an executive order (EO) implementing FOI in the executive branch. And President Marcos has not repelled it, so it remains in effect.
But that’s an EO. A legislated FOI is more effective and ideal because it has the force of law. What’s keeping legislators from getting their act together for an FOI law?
There is so much clamor for truth, transparency and accountability. Congress should work for the passage of an FOI law as this would empower the people to verify the claims and check on the “hits and misses” of the government.
During the Arroyo administration, a survey showed that most of our people considered State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) as far from the truth, or irrelevant to their lives. One of the reasons could be because the people’s constitutional right to information had been stonewalled by the executive branch’s use of executive privilege.
We need to empower the people to check government claims against reality and to audit promises made against actual deliveries, by giving them free access to information regarding government affairs except those related to national security and foreign policy.
An effective FOI law should require government offices to answer all queries for information quickly, under pain of stiff penalties, unless sufficient justification is given. An office may only refuse to provide information when this would jeopardize the privacy of individuals, national security, public order, foreign diplomatic and economic relations, and trade secrets of private entities.
Among others, journalists are the first to benefit from the proposed FOI law. But the public in general will benefit the most. It will expose government transactions to the sunshine of public scrutiny. It will make government more transparent and accountable.
