Deputy Speaker Eddie Villanueva on Wednesday urged his colleagues to expedite the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.
Villanueva, a nominee of the CIBAC party-list group, raised the call as the House of Representative’s Committee on Public Information started deliberations of various FOI bills filed at the chamber.
The measures include House Bill 1975 that Villanueva and fellow CIBAC nominee Domeng Rivera authored.
“I beseech my fellow lawmakers to expedite passing this measure. We need an FOI law now more than ever,” he said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created more opportunities for corruption. If we will not have this FOI bill urgently passed into law, we will just continue to expose our government resources to the mercy of scrupulous and rent-seeking individuals – at the detriment of our people. We need to raise our demands for transparency and accountability now more than at any time before,” Villanueva added.
The lawmaker underscored how the pandemic has spawned opportunities for corruption.
“Social and physical distancing in this COVID-19 pandemic does not stop corruption; conversely, it even opens opportunities for shady deals to flourish behind people’s backs. We badly need a mechanism to put officials accountable even while people are within the confines of their homes. The FOI will bridge that gap,” he said.
Representatives Joy Tambunting of Parañaque, France Castro of ACT Teachers and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela echoed the appeal for the enactment of the measure.
Tambunting said the passage of the FOI bill is needed to ensure transparency and accountability in government.
“As a state principle, it is with the people whom our sovereignty resides and, thus, all government authority emanates from them. Clearly, the people are our boss – and we are answerable to them,” she said.
“If we want to get serious in our fight against corruption, it is about time to bring this bill into law,” Tambunting added.
Castro said the passage of FOI bill in the midst of a raging pandemic is timely.
“Knowledge is a weapon of the people against this pandemic; information—or lack thereof—will tell them if their government is not leaving them to their own devices at the mercy of the deadly virus, whether agencies and officials are properly spending their taxes to help them survive,” said Castro in her sponsorship speech to House Bill 226 or An Act Strengthening the People’s Right to Information.