House quad-committee (quad-comm) overall chairman, Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. is hopeful that the proposed People’s Freedom of Information Act of 2025 will soon become a law, now that it has been included in the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Abante, already in his third and final term in the House of Representatives, authored the proposed pro-transparency measure under House Bill (HB) No. 3643.

In a statement Wednesday, Oct. 8, Abante noted that the People's FOI Act will institutionalize access to information and require top government officials to publicly disclose their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

Under Section 8 of the proposed measure, the following national officials are required to annually disclose their SALNs to the public through their official websites: the President, Vice President, Members of the Cabinet, Members of Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, Members of Constitutional Commissions and other constitutional offices, and officers of the Armed Forces with general or flag rank.

Last Sept. 30, President Marcos together with members of the Cabinet and congressional leaders, officially identified the Right to Information (RTI) Act as one of the priority legislative measures under the CLA of LEDAC for the 20th Philippine Congress—a move that Abante said “strengthens the people’s hope that transparency and accountability will no longer be aspirations, but realities in government".

The Manila solon said the measure fulfills the people’s constitutional right to information, as well as the moral duty of public officials to transparency.

"No less than Section 28 of Article II of our 1987 Philippine Constitution upholds the people’s right to information as a cornerstone of democratic governance; Section 7 of Article III safeguards this right alongside individual freedoms; and Article XI, Section 17, mandates public officials to disclose their [SALN]," he added.

“These provisions emphasize the pivotal role of transparency as essential to participatory democracy, enabling citizens to monitor government actions, participate meaningfully in policy-making, and guard against abuses of power,” added the pastor-legislator.

He cited the Supreme Court (SC) ruling in ABS-CBN Corporation, et al. v. Andal Ampatuan, Jr. (2023), where it said that the Court “expressly recognizes that the people are entitled to information on matters of public concern and thus are expressly granted access to official records, as well as documents of official acts, or transactions, or decisions, subject to such limitations imposed by law".

Abante explained that his proposed measure “establishes a comprehensive framework that promotes transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in government".

He noted that this applies to all branches and levels of government—national agencies, local government units, constitutional bodies, government-owned or controlled corporations, and state academic institutions.

The quad-comm chief said this would “[ensure] that all public records and transactions are accessible to Filipino citizens, subject only to carefully defined exceptions to protect national security, personal privacy, and privileged communications".

To balance transparency with privacy, Abante said the bill also ensures compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012, “safeguarding sensitive data while holding public officials accountable for wrongful withholding, concealment, or destruction of records through administrative and criminal penalties".

Abante stressed that the measure aims to “empower Filipinos by embedding their constitutional right to information into everyday governance, strengthening democratic institutions, deterring corruption, and enhancing the responsiveness and accountability of public service".