SC asked to declare unconstitutional DENR's Freedom of Information Manual
Last Sept. 17, they said they asked for information on the Bulacan Dredging and Flood Control Project and the Bucayao River Rehabilitation and Flood Control Dredging Project.
When the request was unheeded, the petitioners said they sent a letter to President Marcos and the DENR secretary and urged them to amend the DENR-FOI Manual to uphold “every Filipino’s constitutional right to access information on matters of public concern, especially on environmental matters.”
“To date, respondent DENR Secretary and the Office of the President had taken no further action on the letter-petition for the amendment of the DENR-FOI Manual,” they said.
They also told the SC: “Lastly, the Constitution recognizes the right of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all levels of social, political, and economic decision-making. The Constitution is also clear that this right must not be abridged.”