Show some balls.

One of the authors of the Freedom on Information (FOI) bill made this call on his colleagues on Monday, urging them to vote for the approval of the measure even without the support of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

Rep. Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna party-list noted that the members of the House Committee on Public Information should not fear losing the President’s support in the 2013 elections because standing up for the FOI passage is standing up against graft and corruption—the platform of President Aquino dating back to the campaign period.

“I challenge my colleagues in the Public Information Committee to show some balls and approve the bill even if it means earning the ire of the President. I trust Representative Evardone to muster the courage to make this his legacy to the Filipino people,” Casiño said in a text message.

The FOI codifies the right of the people to information on matters of public concern and the state policy, receive full disclosure from officials of all transactions involving public interest, including transcripts and minutes of official meetings.

“The more important thing is that people will remember how they stood up to the President to pass this landmark bill for good governance,” Casiño added.

In his campaign for the Presidency in the summer of 2010, President Aquino vowed to support the passage of the FOI measure. His promise, however, is yet to see the light of day since he has refused to issue a marching order for FOI’s passage even if it has been two years since he assumed Presidency.

Evardone is yet to commit the FOI measure’s approval in his Committee on November 13, even if the FOI bill has been pending before Evardone’s panel since February 2011. The Palace version of the FOI measure was submitted to the House Public Information panel on January 2012.

What is certain, per Evardone, is that his Public Information panel will zero in on proposals which seek to incorporate right of reply provisions in the FOI.

“I expect a healthy and spirited debate in tomorrow’s hearing of the various FOI bills pending in my committee. We will balance the need for transparency and the need to safeguard against possible abuse of the rights under FOI,” Evardone said in a separate text message.