THE Philippine Constitution Association welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order implementing freedom of information in the executive department even as Senator Grace Poe refiled her old proposal to institutionalize transparency in all branches of government.
Former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez, president of the Philippine Constitution Association, said Duterte’s EO was initial proof of the reforms of the Duterte administration.
“President Duterte is a no-nonsense action man and very much determined to address graft and corruption,” Romualdez said.
“The public has been waiting for FoI implementation which did not happen in the past administration despite its anti-corruption campaign mantra. He issued the order without alibis,” said the former independent bloc leader of the House.
Duterte’s EO on FoI “will be a very good starter for other branches [judiciary and legislature] to follow because this reform is about a clean, accountable, and transparent government,” Romualdez added.
“This will stir support for Congress to pass the FoI bill that was not passed in the last Congress,” said Romualdez, referring to the recently concluded 16th Congress.
But Poe said Duterte’s EO only applies to the executive department so she filed Senate Bill 159 to institutionalize transparency in all branches of government, including private parties that have transactions with government.
“We need to cover transactions involving private entities who may be in cahoots with government officers in stealing public funds,” said Poe, adding that the right to information in its substantive and procedural aspects needs to be clearly defined.
Poe noted that Duterte’s EO gives much discretion to heads of the offices that have custody of the information sought. Each government office is supposed to come up with a manual.
She also clarified that the EO provides that access to information will be denied when the information falls under certain exceptions. The DoJ and the solicitor general are to submit the list of exceptions based on the Constitution, law and jurisprudence. But under her bill, exceptions are already defined.
“People should be able to understand and process such information meaningfully, expeditiously, and without distortion. I would therefore, like to add that our proposed law is not just about transparency and accountability, it is also about creating an enabling environment for social participation.,” said Poe.
