Neophyte solon FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe has made a serious push for the enactment of the long-sought Freedom of Information (FOI) law.

During the House Committee on Public Information’s organizational meeting Wednesday, Sept. 10, Rep. Poe highlighted that he filed HB (HB) No.1188 or the FOI Bill the purpose of "[enshrining] transparency into law after nearly three decades of inaction".

“I rise today with conviction and with deep respect for the work that has come before us to manifest my strong support for the immediate passage of the [FOI] Bill, which I have filed in this Congress under House Bill No. 1188,” Rep Poe declared.

He recalled how his mother, then-senator Grace Poe, championed FOI from the 16th Congress in 2013 until her last Senate term.

“Like her, this was my priority bill—my first bill filed. She said then that the FOI Bill is long overdue, that many people believe the long-term solution to corruption is by making government records and transactions accessible to the public,” he said.

The party-list solon went on to share his personal connection to the measure.

“When my mother first stood to sponsor the FOI Bill in 2013, she even mentioned… that I had been born in 1992, the same year the very first FOI was filed.

"Today, that son stands before you, not as a child but as a representative committed to finishing what she started and what so many others began,” said the "House Hotshots" member.

Rep. Poe then urged his colleagues: "It’s been three decades that this bill has remained in the halls of Congress. I think with all that has happened, it is time for us to finally pass this into law—and with your leadership, Mr. Chair, I believe we can do it.”

Committee Chairman Cagayan de Oro 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan assured Rep. Poe of his backing for the measure.