A group of lawmakers on Monday refiled a measure seeking to implement the people’s right to information and the constitutional policies of full public disclosure as well as honesty in public service.
The legislators led by House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Leila de Lima filed House Bill 2897, or the “People’s Freedom of Information Act of 2025, aiming to “finally legislate the people’s freedom of information to adequately address the vulnerabilities and problems that arise from lack of transparency and access to information.”
De Lima’s co-authors are Reps. Edgar Erice (2nd District, Caloocan City), Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro).
“Current inconsistencies and lack of mandatory disclosure highlight the need for a legislated Freeedom of Information (FOI) policy. Ang panukalang ito ay isang makapangyarihang sandata laban sa katiwalian, disimpormasyon, at kawalan ng katapatan at pananagutan sa pamahalaan (This proposal is a powerful weapon against corruption, disinformation, and lack of honesty and accountability in government),” De Lima said.
To date, no FOI measure has been enacted, despite numerous attempts since the 8th Congress, when then-Rep. Raul Roco filed the first FOI bill.
Similar bills were filed in succeeding Congresses, but none of them prospered.
Then President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 2 in 2016 on FOI, but this was just limited to the executive branch and lacked enforcement mechanisms.
Under HB 2897, all Filipino citizens, upon request, have a right to, and shall be given access to any record under the control of government agencies.
Under the proposed law, government agencies and public officials are mandated to disclose and make available for scrutiny, copying, and reproduction all information pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as government research data used as basis for policy development.
The bill states that access to information should be granted, with certain exceptions.
The exceptions cover information relating to national security, foreign affairs, internal/external defense, law enforcement procedures, and trade secrets; records or minutes of advice given and of opinions expressed during decision-making or policy formulation of the Chief Executive; assistance to overseas Filipino workers, including but not limited to their cases and records on criminal and family cases.
Other matters outside the scope of HB 2897 are information involving records of foreign diplomats on diplomatic and consular missions, their arrival and departure, and other information that could compromise their safety; information about a treaty or bilateral agreement to which the Philippines is a party; information obtained by either chambers of Congress, or any committee thereof, in executive session; if the information is deemed premature and/or in the draft stage; matters of privileged communication as defined in the Rules of Court, and information pertaining to personal privacy, and other constitutionally or legally protected information, among other sensitive details and information, and those protected under RA No. 10173 or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012.”
The proposed law also mandates websites of government agencies to contain a matrix of requests made, their status, and the decision regarding the request. Once the information is released to a certain party, the information must be made accessible to all.
HB 2897 imposes jail term of not less than one year but not more than six years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P1 million for violators.
“Honesty and accountability should be SOP (standard operating procedure) in government. Public office is a public trust. Nothing should be hidden from the people who should be the source of power in the government,” De Lima explained.
The legislators led by House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Leila de Lima filed House Bill 2897, or the “People’s Freedom of Information Act of 2025, aiming to “finally legislate the people’s freedom of information to adequately address the vulnerabilities and problems that arise from lack of transparency and access to information.”
De Lima’s co-authors are Reps. Edgar Erice (2nd District, Caloocan City), Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro).
“Current inconsistencies and lack of mandatory disclosure highlight the need for a legislated Freeedom of Information (FOI) policy. Ang panukalang ito ay isang makapangyarihang sandata laban sa katiwalian, disimpormasyon, at kawalan ng katapatan at pananagutan sa pamahalaan (This proposal is a powerful weapon against corruption, disinformation, and lack of honesty and accountability in government),” De Lima said.
To date, no FOI measure has been enacted, despite numerous attempts since the 8th Congress, when then-Rep. Raul Roco filed the first FOI bill.
Similar bills were filed in succeeding Congresses, but none of them prospered.
Then President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 2 in 2016 on FOI, but this was just limited to the executive branch and lacked enforcement mechanisms.
Under HB 2897, all Filipino citizens, upon request, have a right to, and shall be given access to any record under the control of government agencies.
Under the proposed law, government agencies and public officials are mandated to disclose and make available for scrutiny, copying, and reproduction all information pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as government research data used as basis for policy development.
The bill states that access to information should be granted, with certain exceptions.
The exceptions cover information relating to national security, foreign affairs, internal/external defense, law enforcement procedures, and trade secrets; records or minutes of advice given and of opinions expressed during decision-making or policy formulation of the Chief Executive; assistance to overseas Filipino workers, including but not limited to their cases and records on criminal and family cases.
Other matters outside the scope of HB 2897 are information involving records of foreign diplomats on diplomatic and consular missions, their arrival and departure, and other information that could compromise their safety; information about a treaty or bilateral agreement to which the Philippines is a party; information obtained by either chambers of Congress, or any committee thereof, in executive session; if the information is deemed premature and/or in the draft stage; matters of privileged communication as defined in the Rules of Court, and information pertaining to personal privacy, and other constitutionally or legally protected information, among other sensitive details and information, and those protected under RA No. 10173 or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012.”
The proposed law also mandates websites of government agencies to contain a matrix of requests made, their status, and the decision regarding the request. Once the information is released to a certain party, the information must be made accessible to all.
HB 2897 imposes jail term of not less than one year but not more than six years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P1 million for violators.
“Honesty and accountability should be SOP (standard operating procedure) in government. Public office is a public trust. Nothing should be hidden from the people who should be the source of power in the government,” De Lima explained.
