Senate passes proposed People's Freedom of Information Act

MANILA, Philippines — Voting 22-0-0, the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill (SB) 1432 or the proposed People's Freedom of Information Act (PFIA) providing access to official government records. SB 1432 will cover the three branches of government — the executive, legislative, and judiciary, as well as constitutional bodies and local governments. It will also cover government-owned and controlled corporations, government instrumentalities, and state universities and colleges. Once enacted into law, PFIA will expand Executive Order 2 issued by former President Rodrigo Duterte, which recognizes the people’s right to information, but only covers agencies under the executive department. Under PFIA, the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, lawmakers, Supreme Court justices, members of constitutional commissions, as well as officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with general or flag rank, are required to disclose and post their annual statements of assets, liabilities and net worth on their official websites. Government agencies will be required to publish on their websites transactions, documents or records that involve public interest, such as budget expenditures, bidding contracts, procurement plans, debts, and contracts worth P50 million and up. However, PFIA does not cover details on information declared confidential by law, especially those pertaining to national security or defense, law enforcement, foreign affairs, presidential communications privilege, and information in executive sessions of Congress. Sen. Robinhood Padilla, sponsor of the measure, said the PFIA will remove barriers to transparency and promote a culture of accountability across government institutions. He said that providing the public with easy access to information will make it easier to fight fake news and disinformation. Sen. Joel Villanueva, PFIA author, said that apart from improving transparency, the proposed measure will also empower citizens to be more involved in governance.

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