On July 23, 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 2 mandating public access to information held by the agencies and offices of the executive branch. The nongovernmental organizations that had been campaigning for a freedom of information (FOI) act for decades welcomed it with cautious optimism. The Executive Order (EO) encouraged the legislature…
“This is a gesture we are sure not only media but everybody who believes transparency and accountability indispensable to good governance and democracy highly appreciates.”
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld The House Committee on Public Information has approved the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill which consolidates the provisions of several other bills proposed by congressmen, Malacañang, and the Right to Know Right Now coalition of nongovernment organizations and journalists’ and media advocacy organizations. But not everyone’s breaking…
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Over 90 countries have one. Albania has one, and so has Zimbabwe — a freedom of information act, although known by different names. Albania has a Law no. 8503, which has recognized the right to information on official documents since 1999. Zimbabwe has the Access to Information…
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld With only six days of sessions left before the 15th Congress adjourns, and despite the optimism of Congressman Lorenzo (Erin) Tanada III, the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill was dead in the water as of this writing (January 24). Although the House Public Information Committee chaired by…
These are misplaced fears based first of all on a secrecy mindset that deny the fundamental right of the citizenry to knowledge of government transactions, decision-making, and policy. They also ignore the crucial role an informed citizenry can and has played in exposing corruption and bringing its sovereign power to bear on eliminating or at…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Theodore Te, lawyer and an advocate of freedom of information, noted that in the Aquino administration’s version of the Freedom of Information bill exceptions are longer than the list of information subject to mandatory disclosure.
Sidebar: Access to information more difficult under Aquino