Freedom of Information Bill, a Solution to End Corruption?
Introduction
The House of Representatives miserably failed to ratify the Freedom of Information bill, would-be law 15 years in the making, because of the purported lack of a quorum to put the bill to a vote in the Lower House session hall. A month before that, then presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III promised that the FOI bill would be a priority if he became President. An FOI law, after all, would concretize his vision to stamp out government corruption by making the records of public transactions accessible to the public, especially the press (Dalangin-Fernandez, 2011).
On May 2010, Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III was sworn as the country’s 15th President before millions of Filipinos at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, vowing to deliver the nation from poverty and wiping corruption that grip the administration of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. During the historic event, Aquino disclosed that on top of his priorities is to tend the culture of bad governance and for him to set a good example in getting rid of corrupt practices in public administration (Mabasa, 2010). A good speech, however, does not yet make a good presidency, and Aquino’s first appointments and policy decisions were awaited eagerly. Soon after the inauguration the administration announced an executive order fleshing out the constitutional guarantee on the people’s right to information. Aruna Roy, an Indian woman expressed support for the fourteen year advocacy to pass the bill in the Philippines. She shared that it also took India 13 years to pass the same bill but through the persistence of peasants and workers. She said “If this congress passes the bill, there’s an image of trust, honesty and integrity. It’s done India a lot of good even if there’s as much corruption in India as there is in the Philippines.” India’s right to know movement got its slogan from a woman who attended a press conference on the law. The press asked her, ‘What does this have to
The House of Representatives miserably failed to ratify the Freedom of Information bill, would-be law 15 years in the making, because of the purported lack of a quorum to put the bill to a vote in the Lower House session hall. A month before that, then presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III promised that the FOI bill would be a priority if he became President. An FOI law, after all, would concretize his vision to stamp out government corruption by making the records of public transactions accessible to the public, especially the press (Dalangin-Fernandez, 2011).
On May 2010, Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III was sworn as the country’s 15th President before millions of Filipinos at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, vowing to deliver the nation from poverty and wiping corruption that grip the administration of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. During the historic event, Aquino disclosed that on top of his priorities is to tend the culture of bad governance and for him to set a good example in getting rid of corrupt practices in public administration (Mabasa, 2010). A good speech, however, does not yet make a good presidency, and Aquino’s first appointments and policy decisions were awaited eagerly. Soon after the inauguration the administration announced an executive order fleshing out the constitutional guarantee on the people’s right to information. Aruna Roy, an Indian woman expressed support for the fourteen year advocacy to pass the bill in the Philippines. She shared that it also took India 13 years to pass the same bill but through the persistence of peasants and workers. She said “If this congress passes the bill, there’s an image of trust, honesty and integrity. It’s done India a lot of good even if there’s as much corruption in India as there is in the Philippines.” India’s right to know movement got its slogan from a woman who attended a press conference on the law. The press asked her, ‘What does this have to
Bibliography: Balana, C. (2012). Militant legislator slams Aquino information bill. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/139605/militant-legislator-slams-aquino-information-bill Bordadora, N. (2012). Palace FOI bill won’t require ‘pork barrel’ info. Retrieved September 26, 2012, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/139863/palace-foi-bill-won%E2%80%99t-require-%E2%80%98pork-barrel%E2%80%99-info Cabacungan, G., & Bordadora, N .(2012). SALN posting mandatory in President Aquino’s FOI bill. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/139287/saln-posting-mandatory-in-president-aquinos-foi-bill Mabasa, R.C. (2012). Noynoy vows good governance. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from http://www.mb.com.ph/node/264525/aquino-vow Malalis, A.C. (2012). Pres. Aquino urged to pass freedom information of bill. Retrieved September 24, 2012, from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2012/07/24/aquino-urged-pass-freedom-information-bill-233841 Olea, R. (2012). Malacañang-imposed restrictions mar Freedom of Information bill. Retrieved September 23, 2012, from http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/01/06/malacanang-imposed-restrictions-mar-freedom-of-information-bill/ http://www.gov.ph/foi/