GMA News, other news agencies voice support for FOI bill

Major news agencies in the Philippines on Wednesday voiced out their support for the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which promotes transparency in government transactions and data.

During a Senate hearing on the measure, Grace dela Peña, GMA News and Public Affairs vice president for news operations, said an FOI law will ensure public access to information from government agencies.

"GMA is in favor of the passage of a law that will ensure the full exercise of the public's right to know, a law that requires the disclosure of government transactions, one that clearly outlines the procedure in accessing information and also, very important, its timely release," Dela Peña said.

She noted that at present some government offices are either reluctant to share information or lack the manpower to do so.

Rowena Paraan, who represented ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs during the hearing, said passage of the FOI bill will show the administration's seriousness in its anti-corruption drive.

"ABS-CBN believes the FOI act is not just for the media. While it is true when enacted help journalists, the FOI is for students doing their research, overseas Filipino workers and even housewives," she said.

Paraan also said that a right-of-reply provision is no longer necessary in the FOI bill, since the practice of getting different sides of a news story is already "embedded" in Philippine media.

For his part, Roby Alampay, Interaksyon.com editor-in-chief and representative of TV5, said the recent controversies in government, particularly the alleged pork barrel scam, highlights the need for an FOI law in the country.

"It is obvious to us that it is now obvious to an even greater number of Filipinos what access to info can bring... Our institutions are in crisis," Alampay said.

He also noted how other countries managed to fight corruption with a law giving citizens access to public information.

Last Congress, the Senate was able to pass the FOI bill. The measure, however, was stalled at the committee level at the House of Representatives.

This Congress, the Senate is eyeing to pass the measure within the year. The House has yet to schedule a committee hearing on the FOI bill.

Last year, President Benigno Aquino III told his Cabinet to "push ahead" with the FOI bill. He, however, has not included the measure in his priority legislations during his first three years in office, despite his anti-corruption drive.

Assistant Secretary Jess Anthony Yu of the Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCCO) said during Wednesday's Senate hearing that the FOI bill will be tackled in the next meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), which sets the administration's priority measures. — KBK, GMA News