Media groups ask President-elect Aquino to make FOI bill a priority

Two media groups challenged President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to prioritize the Freedom of Information Bill, which was not approved by the outgoing House of Representatives last Friday. Aquino should now fulfill his campaign promise of good governance by making the bill a priority, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said. The new president should make good "campaign promises of good governance and make this bill or an even better measure a priority of the 15th Congress," the NUJP said in an article posted on the Southeast Asian Press Alliance website. The NUJP scored the Lower House of the 14th Congress for failing to ratifying the FOI bill in its last session day on June 4. It said this brought back to Square One the efforts to pass a law that will allow Filipino citizens access to all public documents. The Lower House leadership had claimed a lack of quorum in allowing the FOI bill to die. The lower legislative chamber also got a last-minute scolding from an international media group over its failure to ratify the FOI bill. The International Federation of Journalists scored the House for a "clear betrayal of democracy" even as it urged the incoming Aquino administration to reinstate the bill in the 15th Congress. "The IFJ and its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), described the decision by the Philippines Congress as a clear betrayal of democracy, and urged the incoming administration of Benigno Aquino to reinstate the bill to the new Congress on its first day," the IFJ said in its website. Citing its mission that visited the country last week, the IFJ said the bill has been waiting for 14 years to reach this stage. “Hopes for improvement to the Philippines' press freedom status and citizens’ right to know have now suffered a serious setback," said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park. The IFJ joined the NUJP in calling on the incoming Aquino administration to make the ratification of the FOI bill a top priority. It also urged Aquino to take a first step to fulfill promises to uphold principles of good governance. The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide. But Aquino, in his first press conference as President-elect, said he will have to consult with his legal experts to see if the FOI bill can be certified urgent. "Kailangan ko pa ikonsulta ang abogado. Di pwedeng kursunada ko lang certified urgent na. Meron talagang requirements. Gusto ko sumunod religiously sa ating Saligang Batas at iba pang batas kaya di ko kayo mabigyan ng categorical answer ise-certify nating urgent yan (I will have to consult with my lawyers. I cannot just certify bills as urgent on a whim. There are requirements to be met. I want to religiously follow our Constitution and other laws, so I cannot give a categorical answer now whether to certify it as urgent)," he said. Aquino however said Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, a political ally and partymate in the Liberal Party, is a proponent of the FOI bill. "He will still be an advocate for this. It will go through the process," he said. - RJAB Jr./JV, GMANews.TV