Stand up for freedom of information

By Christine Barrete

Freedom of Information Bill should be enacted.

Freedom of information is granted to us though Article III section 7 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that states, “The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized.”

The Bill seeks to secure access to information to promote transparency and accountability in the government and public authorities.

Whether one is practicing journalism or not, we are still entitled to our right to information. But despite given the right, it still makes me wonder why it takes time to access these information despite it being of public interest. Seeking information from various government agencies requires protocol before having access to it. Like being obliged to present a letter of intent where the reason of acquiring such information is stated with the adviser’s signature.

Freedom of Information Bill is very crucial to mass media because as watchdogs of the government, it is their duty to give the public the correct information. Through regular checks and balances conducted by the media, corruption and abuse of power done by the government is lessen.

Granting the right to information would not only benefit the media but also the public. If information is openly given to the people, it develops an effective, participative and cooperative citizenry by engaging citizens in policy-making. Also, proposed bills are publicized through media and people react on it, thereby influencing the decisions of law makers.

A study of former INQUIRER reporter Edson Tandoc Jr., a Fulbright scholar and doctoral candidate at the Missouri School of Journalism, found that countries with freedom of information laws “have lower incidence of corruption” and a better quality of life than nations that just recently enforced such a measure or have none at all.

FOI bill is a must in a society that’s slowly losing its trust to the government because of the misuse of funds due to corruption. Like in the case of the pork barrel scam, which could have been avoided if media was granted the freedom to access necessary information from the government.

Currently, the freedom of information (FOI) bill still remains in the House of Representative but Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III of Quezon, the bill’s main author remains optimistic in the passage of the bill.

I hope that the prevailing issues today will open the eyes of the people especially the lawmakers to support Freedom of Information Bill. It would be a stepping stone to eliminate corruption and elicit positive change towards a better nation.