Transparency and Accountability Network

FOI NOT IN HOUSE ORDER OF BUSINESS HOUSE FAILS THE PEOPLE YET AGAIN

22 January 2013 Leslie Flores

PRESS STATEMENT

The Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition

21 January 2013

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We express our indignation over the House leadership's lack of responsiveness on the FOI bill.

We came to the session today anticipating the sponsorship of the FOI committee report so that debates on it can finally proceed, only to be frustrated again with its non-inclusion in the Order of Business.

The Committee Report has been submitted to the Rules Committee before adjournment last year, and given the lack of material time for the bill's consideration, we were expecting that the House leadership would not let a session day pass that the FOI bill is not tackled.

Today's non-inclusion of the FOI bill in the Order of Business, even for just its sponsorship, is just the latest in the pattern of delays that has beset the FOI bill in the 15th Congress.

Final Push for Passage of the FOI Bill: Update on Status

14 January 2013 Leslie Flores

Final Push for Passage of the FOI Bill: Update on Status

Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan

Co-convenor, Right to Know. Right Now! Coalition and

Co-Director, Institute for Freedom of Information

13 January 2012

A. Legislative Status of the FOI Bill

The Senate has already passed the FOI bill on Second Reading (11 Dec 2012) and Third Reading (17 December). Thus it only awaits the passage of the counterpart measure from the House of Representatives, before a bicameral conference can be convened to harmonize any disagreeing provisions between the Senate and House versions.

At the House of Representatives, a committee report has been submitted to the House plenary for action. The next step will be for the formal sponsorship of the committee report by the Committee Chairman (Rep. Ben Evardone) and co-sponsorship by interested authors. After sponsorship, the measure will undergo a period of interpellation and then a period of amendments, before it is put to a vote on Second Reading. If the bill is favorably voted on Second Reading, it will again be put to a vote on Third (final) Reading, after a minimum 3 days after copy of the bill passed on Second Reading has been distributed to members. A certification by the President to the necessity of its immediate enactment dispenses of the minimum 3 days of copy circulation.
Only nine session days remain when Congress resumes session on January 21. After this it will adjourn for elections, and resume for only 3 days in June for the closing ceremonies of the term of the 15th Congress.