Rep. Almonte on FOI bill: I'm doing my job as public information panel chair

Misamis Occidental Representative Jorge Almonte on Thursday answered an insinuation that passage of the Freedom of Information bill has been delayed because of his inaction as chairman of the House Public Information Committee.

 

“Our Committee has to consider all the bills referred to it, 46 bills as of last December. Twenty bills are about (Freedom of Information), 26 are not. If our act of giving time for consideration of the other bills is viewed with disfavor, then I’m sorry [that] we have a different view as to how the [committee] should perform its task,” Almonte told GMA News Online in a text message. 

 

DIWA party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, a member of the committee, said Monday that she was disappointed in Almonte for not setting meetings for the consolidation of the proposed FOI bills.

 

“If he’s sincere in his commitment, we’ll set meetings, but that’s not happening right now,” Aglipay said in a forum sponsored by the Right to Know Right Now coalition.

 

Other than a meeting in December last year to set the deadline for a consolidated version of the FOI bill on the second week of February, neither the committee nor the technical working group (TWG) within it has done much work on the bill, a fact Aglipay attributed to Almonte’s reluctance to meet with the TWG.

 

But Almonte said he is merely following House rules.

 

“We have to be guided by the role of the TWG [,which is] to ensure that measures and their corresponding committee reports are carefully crafted and faithfully express the sentiments and consensus of the committee relative to said measures and reports,” he said, adding the TWG has yet to come together cohesively.

 

“It is plain that the committee has yet to express ideas, sentiments and arrive at a consensus as basis for the TWG to conduct its task. I wish the CPI to proceed on matters before it consistent with Rules; I believe as Chairman I have acted in good faith,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Almonte said the committee will meet on the first week of February to discuss the FOI bill and other issues. He did not categorically state, however, whether the committee or the TWG can meet their self-imposed deadline to have a consolidated bill by the second week of February.

 

Almonte also said he is aware of House Speaker Sonny Belmonte’s comments that the House leadership would rather prioritize charter change over the FOI bill, but assured the public that the committee will not abandon the bill.

 

“The Speaker’s comment is understandable because he authored a bill to amend the Constitution as regards economic provisions. My committee will proceed with the consideration of FOI bills in accordance with the House rules,” he said in a text message.

 

On Thursday, Belmonte told reporters that he will prioritize a measure seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution over the Freedom of Information bill.

 

“Cha-cha (charter change) muna bago FOI,” Belmonte told reporters at a press briefing.

 

In July last year, Belmonte filed a resolution proposing amendments to certain economic provisions of the Constitution. — JDS, GMA News