ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 20, 2012) – Over 100 students from various schools have attended Tuesday’s forum on the long-delayed Freedom of Information Bill which the Philippine media and civil society groups are advocating.
The forum, organized by the local chapter of the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and the Right to Know Right Now Coalition, was held at the Campeon Hall of the Ateneo de Zambooanga University.
Father Albert Alejo, of the Ateneo de Zamboanga, welcomed the students who were from Pilar College, Saint Joseph and Ateneo and gave a brief speech.
NUJP Secretary-General Rowena Paraan and lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan were also invited and flew to Zamboanga City from Manila to speak about the FOI and the Rights of Reply Bill, among others.
“This is a collaborative effort of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Zamboanga City Chapter, as it strengthens its cry against media oppression in the Philippines, and the Ateneo De Zamboanga University, as it celebrates 100 years of service in education to the Filipino youth,” said local NUJP president Frencie Carreon.
The House of Representatives failed to pass the FOI for various reasons, but Paraan and Malaluan said the FOI was “killed” by lawmakers who were opposing its passage.
“The FOI bill is dead in the 15th Congress,” Malaluan, who is advocating for the bill the past 14 years, told the Mindanao Examiner.
President Benigno Aquino has repeatedly said that he will support the passage of the FOI, but failed to act on it.
On February 3, Aquino announced that the proposed Freedom of Information bill was transmitted to administration coalition allies in the House of Representatives, saying it is an integral element of the Aquino Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Plan of 2012-2016.
The plan contains reforms and initiatives that pursue greater transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance. And said the bill is a result of a consultative process after careful study of similar legislation by an administration study group in order to ensure that it serves public interest without compromising government’s legitimate rights.
The Manila Times, in an editorial published Nov. 20, said: “For the longest time, Filipino journalists have been asking, begging, cajoling, charming and pleading with Congress to pass a Freedom of Information Act. Too often have media men and women been frustrated by the doors that are figuratively closed to them, sometimes in the name of “national security.” Such is the catch-all phrase that, in effect, tells media to back off.”
“The long pending FOI would have provided the entry point for media to do a better job. No longer would stories be written based on unsubstantiated claims of government officials. Those “he said, she said” stories have always lacked substance and depth. In a lot of cases, obvious lies are peddled to the public via media, and there is no way of verifying claims because access is denied.”
It said for reasons known only to Aquino and presumably the Cabinet secretaries closest to him, the President opted not to give the FOI bill his full support. “What support he has given to the proposed law may be deemed lame, at best.” (Mindanao Examiner)
20