The House Committee on Public Information has approved a substitute bill on the proposed Right-to-Information (RTI) Act, the enactment of which has long been pursued by the legislature.

This was reported by Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Yamsuan, who headed the technical working group (TWG) discussions on the proposed RTI Act.

Yamsuan noted that the committee's approval of the measure was a crucial step to enacting a law that would help combat disinformation, and cultivate a culture of transparency and accountability in the government.

Yamsuan expressed confidence that the bill would be finally passed into law under the current Congress after more than three decades of languishing in the legislative mill, especially since it was identified as among the priority measures of President Marcos.

“This measure, which our freedom-of-information (FOI) champions have described as ’30 years in the making’ would not only prove to be beneficial to our citizens, but also to the government. Para rin ito sa kapakanan ng gobyerno. Maiiwasan na ang mga sitwasyon na  maakusahan ang mga namumuno dito nang kung ano-ano if ang decisions and actions ay documented naman lahat at maaring ma-access ng publiko,” said the solon, a vice chairperson of the public information panel. 

(This is also for the benefit of the government. We would now be able to avoid situations in which  its leaders face unfounded accusations if decisions and actions  are all documented and can be accessed by the public.)

Various FOI bills have been filed and deliberated upon since the 11th Congress.

The current RTI proposal builds upon those earlier FOI frameworks, but introduces a more institutionalized compliance and enforcement mechanism through the creation of an independent RTI Commission.

The measure is included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority agenda in the 20th Congress, signaling coordinated action between Congress and the executive branch to finally institutionalize a uniform, enforceable access-to-information regime across all branches and instrumentalities of government

Cagayan de Oro 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan, chairperson of the public information committee, thanked Yamsuan for his hard work in overseeing the TWG, which held three meetings to extensively discuss the provisions of the RTI bill. 

“The technical working group was very competently and efficiently chaired by our Vice Chair Congressman Brian Yamsuan, who led the discussions on the core provisions of the bill in its more contentious sections,” Suan said prior to the committee's vote on the measure last Monday, March 16.

Yamsuan said that among the notable features  of the substitute bill is the provision mandating  proactive disclosure and data accuracy by government agencies. 

Under Section 25 of the bill, all government agencies and instrumentalities shall have the duty to proactively disclose data through their official websites. Among others, these include regularly updated information on programs, projects, and names of third-party contractors; procedures in decision making processes, including channels of supervision and accountability; service standards; statistical data on accomplishments; and details on annual procurement plans, budgets, expenditures and disbursements. 

Another key provision of the bill provides for the disclosure of the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of public officials and employees. To protect personal  information, home addresses, along with  names, dates of birth, and ages of any unmarried children below 18 years of age living in the declarant’s household; signatures of declarants and co-declarants, if any; and government-issued identification numbers of declarants and co-declarants will be redacted from the released SALN copies. 

The bill also stresses the legal presumption in favor of access to information and shifts the burden of proof to the government agency in identifying the legal basis for denying disclosure.

“We want transparency, we want people to know the right information. It is a bill that would lessen  the proliferation of fake news. Fact checking would be easier,” Yamsuan said. 

The Metro Manila solon said the substitute bill also provides for the creation of an RTI Commission, an independent and quasi-judicial body tasked to oversee the implementation of the measure. 

The RTI Commission will have the authority to direct government agencies to provide access to requested information, as well as investigate, hear, and decide cases involving violations of the RTI Act.

The bill also aims to integrate RTI, media and information literacy and the principles of governance into the education curriculum to  promote transparency, civic engagement and the responsible use of information, Yamsuan said.