Make lawmakers pay for killing FOI – professor

"Remember their names and never vote for them again." On this note, a political analyst on Saturday urged Filipino voters to always keep in mind the brazen killing of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill by the 14th Congress, after adjourning on Friday without ratifying the measure. "Kung talagang matalino tayong botante, tandaan natin 'yan. Tandaan natin 'yong ginawa ni Nograles et al, at thank God hindi rin siya naboto. Talagang 'yang balota ang [gamitin natin laban sa kanila]," political science professor Dr. Clarita Carlos of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, said in an interview over radio dzBB on Saturday. (As wise voters, we must remember what House Speaker Prospero Nograles and his colleagues did. We must thank God he lost in the May polls. We must use our ballots against them.) Carlos expressed disappointment with Nograles, one of the bill's authors, who irked the bill's supporters by adjourning the session before the FOI Bill could be ratified, despite his promise to prioritize it. For her part, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism executive director Malou Mangahas said the killing by the 14th Congress of the FOI Bill should not be seen as the death of the measure, as it can be refiled in succeeding congresses. "Ang ating binuburol ngayon [ay] ang reputasyon, respeto, at isang salita ni (what we are mourning for is not the burial of the FOI Bill, but the burial of the reputation, word of honor and respect for Speaker Nograles and the 14th Congress," Mangahas said. Nograles, on the other hand, apologized for the failure to pass the FOI Bill, which would allow easier public access to government documents and transactions, because there was no quorum. "I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough," Nograles said in a text message to reporters. On the other hand, Professor Carlos urged the public to keep tabs on legislators who she said are doing deplorable acts. "Tutal 1,000 days lang naman 'yong mga na-reelect, [kaya] 'wag na nating iboto ang mga [may] karumal-dumal na mga ugaling 'yan… dapat magkaroon ng Hall of Shame, ilabas ang [mga pangalan nila] sa Internet at dyaryo," Carlos said. (Never vote these lawmakers in future elections because of their despicable attitude, and to those who have been reelected, no big deal because they will only stay in the House for 1,000 days anyway. She also suggested the putting up of a "Hall of Shame" where the names of lawmakers who made the killing of the FOI Bill possible. "Fourteen years nang binubuno 'yang FOI. Unfortunately, tayo rin napakaiksi ng ating memorya at hindi natin pinagbabayad ang mga ayaw 'yang padaanin (We had worked so hard for 14 years for the FOI. Unfortunately, we have such a short memory as we did not make those who had blocked its passage pay for their actions," Carlos added. She said that the FOI would allow, among others, access to documents on government transactions from the planning to the procurement stages. "Napakaganda talaga niyan kasi ang demokrasya [ay] tungkol sa singilinan. Otherwise dictatorship nalang tayo. That is why every 1,000 days sisingilin natin ang Congress; every 2,000 days sisingilin natin ang Presidente." "Ito ang essence ng democracy natin… accountable at responsible ang mga miyembro ng ating liderato. Kapag wala tayong FOI, mahihrapan tayong mangalkal ng papel at madadalian silang magtago ng papel (Accountable and responsible leaders is part of our democracy. Without the FOI Law, it would be difficult for us to make our leaders accountable because we cannot easily keep track of documents and information about government transactions)," she added. — LBG, GMANews.TV