Maria Alissa Z.

Lacson
COM 24 | BMC III
Freedom of Information: The Change We Need To See
My Stand on the Freedom of Information Act

We have come towards a time when such information - defined by the bill as any form of data in
connection with the performance or transaction of official business by any government official or agency
- has become a matter of public concern. The Freedom of Information bill has long been overdue: I
believe that it is now the right time to push this bill forward and act on it. Section 7 under the Bill of
Rights fully states that the people have the right to be informed on matters of public concern. Section 28
of Article 2 implements the states policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public
interest. The Freedom of Information Act, I believe, was inspired by both this right and principle. I
believe this bill can be potentially revolutionary. I believe this bill can signify as our countrys hope for a
better nation. To explain further, I have with me a list of my arguments.

1. The FOI is A Goal To End Corruption.

Out of 174 countries, the Philippines is ranked 105 th most corrupt. We can no longer wait a
decade or two to realize that we, the Filipino people, have been cheated on by our most trusted Filipino
citizens. This, I believe, is the driving force of the bill to put an end to corruption. According to Section
4 of the Freedom of Information Act of 2012,

Every person who is a Filipino citizen has a right to and shall, on request, be
given access to any record under the control of a government agency. Government
agencies shall make available to the public for scrutiny, copying and reproduction in the
manner provided by this Act, all information pertaining to official acts, transactions or
decisions, as well as government research data used as a basis for policy development,

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subject to the exceptions enumerated under section 6 of this Act, regardless of their
physical form or format in which they are contained and by whom they were made.

Would you rather protect public officers from fear of being embarrassed or impeached or protect
your country and the Filipino citizens from the corrupt rulers of this democratic nation? The statement of
assets, liabilities, and networths of civil servants are among the least trustworthy documents in the
government and with this bill, it can provide an opportunity for the government officials to be
accountable and to serve the country well and good. In a state where the government is by and for the
people, it is indeed the governments duty to perform their best and to prove they can be role models and
accountable officials which is exactly why they are referred to as public officials, and not secret
officials.
The People Power revolution, the Estrada and Corona impeachment, and the Napoles pork barrel
scam case prove how much the Filipino people are willing to participate, unite, and fight for greater
transparency and to end graft and corruption.
United Nations even promotes this right by saying freedom of information is a fundamental
human right and that it is an essential factor in promoting peace and progress in the world. In addition to
that, countries like Australia, Mexico, Sweden the first to implement the FOI in 1766, and India who
recently implemented the FOI on 2005 - has proven that with the FOI act, there is indeed less government
corruption.

2. The FOI is An Opportunity for Journalists to Report, Accurately and Timely, the Truth behind
Malacaangs Closed Doors.
Journalists are among the most assertive of the right to information for the main reason that it is
vital to their profession. With this bill, all government data, records, transactions, and other information
related to public interest, will be easily made available, thus, enabling the journalists to report more
accurate details of such acquired information. The press is considered the watchdog of the government so

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clearly, they have the right to access public records for it is their duty to gather information, to check the
accuracy of the information they disseminate, and to keep the nation informed on matters of public
concern. On the other hand, it is for the public benefit that newspapers and other mass mediums report
information such as on how public servants do their jobs. We must keep in mind that it is a journalists
right and duty to protect the citizens from the abuses of government officials of the power and authority
we entrust to them as well as the taxes that we are required to pay for government operations.
In addition to accurate reporting, journalists also have the opportunity to report their information
quickly and timely because the government agencies will be required to publish their records and will be
given a limit of 15 working days to respond to an individual seeking information. If government agencies
fail to do so, they can be imprisoned in not less than 1 month and no more than 6 months which is why, if
the bill is approved, journalists will experience less delay in reporting and disseminating important public
matters.
Without the freedom of information, would you want to be a journalist and wait up to 45 days
until you can complete your story? Some government agencies even respond after six months or worse, a
year (that would not even be considered timely anymore). The Republic Act 6713 Code of Conduct and
Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees actually states the 15 working day deadline for
public documents to be made available and 10 working days for officials SALNs to be made available for
copying but the problem without the FOI is that there is no penalty of imprisonment so the officials, in
turn, will not feel threatened or feel the need to submit their financial documents.
To provide a clear picture, after the implementation of the FOI in UK and Scotland, the press was
able to publish more than 1,000 stories based on the disclosures by public authorities in just 2 years which
has drastically changed the governments approach to many issues. Newspapers have said this a thousand
times and here I am again to say what Thomas Jefferson once said, ...were it left to me to decide whether
we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not
hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

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3. The FOI Respects and Values Privacy through Exceptions.
The Bill, too, knows its limits. Section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act 2010 states that if
information will cause grave damage to the internal and external defense of the State, if it will
seriously jeopardize the diplomatic relations of the Philippines, if it pertains to internal and external
defense and law enforcement, or if it invades personal privacy, then it will be exempted to the rule
UNLESS public interest outweighs the harm to the interest sought to be protected by the exceptions. The
FOI bill basically balances the governments need for secrecy with the publics right to know. Although
there are exceptions which I believe are ethical, practical, and very well thought of, would you rather live
not knowing how our government expenditures are really being spent on, where the citizens money is
going, or what the government agencies are really working on? Reiteratively, I believe that such
information has become a matter of public concern.

4. THE FOI Promotes Full Citizen Awareness and Participation.

With greater transparency and accountability ensured by this Bill, better citizen participation in
governance is expected. Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act of 2010 implements that
government agencies shall regularly publish, print, and disseminatetimely, true, accurate, and updated
key information such as a description of its mandate, functions, services, programs, names of officials,
projects, and budgets among many others.
I believe that greater access to information will empower citizens to participate in government
programs and projects that are available to them. I believe that, with greater participation and awareness
provided by the said bill, it will provide the Filipino citizens an opportunity to change the political,
economic, social, and historical course of the country.
If we unfold our history back to the Marcos era, we will learn that people were left ignorant of
the serious state of the economy and the media were muzzled; today, we may enjoy the right to
information but I believe the nation still needs a mandate for this right to be acted on. Over the past few
years, we have witnessed corruption at its finest. The Filipinos were fooled by the Presidents State of the

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Nation Address. We were told of the rapid increase of our economy even equating it to that of a tiger
and then suddenly we are told that the senators pork barrel funds which are supposed to go to
nongovernmental agencies are, in fact, fake.
This is why I believe that the bill must be passed. I, together with all of you Filipinos, can no
longer stand being left ignorant of the reality of our government. If the official records of the government
will be open to the public, it will keep the people knowledgeable about the activities of the government
and will help the citizens make enlightened decisions for our country like realizing that they should not
make fools of themselves through vote buying. I believe that this bill will provide the Filipino masses
the beneficiaries, the students, the farmers, the teachers, and the ordinary citizens a clear picture of the
reality inside the government. President Aquino once said, If Juan de la Cruz has sufficient and correct
information about issues of society not only is he armed with he will also be inspired and encouraged
to participate in the effort to develop the country.

The FOI Act is a goal to end corruption, an opportunity for journalists, an act that respects the
countrys privacy, and a motivation for citizen awareness and participation. The FOI Act can be the
change, we, the Filipino people, need in our society. The FOI Act can be an inspiration for government
officials to act, care, and do their duties responsibly for the betterment of our democratic and sovereign
nation. I believe that the time is now for the Freedom of Information to become a reality.