The Aquino administration and the two houses of Congress should realize by this time that most Philippine media organizations and practitioners have not given up on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. We still want to see the act passed into law despite misinformed parties like House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez promising to block the bill at all cost.

We consider the right to access government records as important as any right guaranteed by our Constitution. At its simplest, the law calls for transparency in all government dealings, with the sole exception being matters of national security. Any government that deprives its citizens of such a right is no better than a tyrannical dictatorship, which is what our country once was, but which we vowed we will never be again.

Democracy without transparency in government and its institutions is no democracy at all.

How anyone could see the proposed law as dangerous is beyond us. Yet Suarez has made himself the champion of the anti-FOI forces because it lacks a right-of-reply provision.

This is a minor provision, one that most experts on law and media practices consider practically insignificant. Legitimate media organizations have always given their best efforts to presenting both sides of every story. It is part of their DNA.

The absence of such a provision is an invalid argument to block its being passed into law.

To be honest, we are disappointed that President Benigno Aquino 3rd has not certified the long pending bill as urgent. He, of all people, should know that an FOI law can be a huge help in his crusade to clean up the government by eradicating graft and corruption.

We’ve said it before and we say it again: Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.

It is no secret that many a government contract is tainted with graft and corruption. This includes the use (or misuse, to be accurate) of the pork barrel funds of senators and congressmen.

Those who oppose the FOI bill may believe that a floodgate of negative reports will swamp them once it becomes law. They should think again.

An FOI Law will only mean that media organizations and practitioners may end up with more work on their hands. They will very likely be forced to go the extra mile when snooping around for “hot” news or scoops. This is because they can no longer use as an excuse to verify facts such reasons as government bureaucracy blocking their way.

Indeed, an FOI Law will make the good media organizations and practitioners better professionals.
 
Against the tide
Suarez and his kind should know by now that they are going against a global tide that allows legitimate media access to information that has been withheld from the public for the longest time.

From Albania to Zimbabwe, there is a long list of countries that have established their citizens’ right to know. With some, the right has been enshrined in their constitution. With others, it was granted through legislation. Over 90 countries now have their respective versions of the FOI act. Sadly, our nation is not one of them.

It does not speak well of the Republic of the Philippines that an FOI bill has been pending for decades, and might not pass yet again with the current Congress. Time is fast running out, and if this Congress does not act with dispatch, the latest version of the FOI bill will again be archived, just like previous versions of the proposed law.

Very soon, Congress will be going on a four-month recess in preparation for the May 2013 elections. It is imperative that House Bill 53 (the formal name of the FOI act) be passed by the plenary ASAP so that the Senate can take the next step in making sure that the Philippines joins the rest of the world in granting its citizens, through the media, the right freely access government-held information at nominal cost.

As House Assistant Majority Leader Sherwin Tugna said this week, “We need critical mass if we want the FOI bill passed.” He is therefore suggesting that the citizenry inform their elected representatives of their desire to see the House pass the law soonest.

While we do not disagree with Tugna’s proposal, it must be stated that congressmen and senators were elected by the citizenry so that they can come up with laws to improve the lives of the people. The FOI bill is one piece of legislation that is a must.

We ask all lawmakers who believe that media can and should be their partner in nation building to pass it now, before it’s too late.