Corruption is a political cancer that the country has not yet found a viable solution for. Many anti-corruption advocates are aiming for good governance free of corruption, but some government agencies continue to mar the country with graft and corruption, stashing away millions and getting away with the crimes they committed scot-free. The proposed Freedom of Information Bill aims to mandate public documents’ disclosure and once this bill is enacted into a law, all government agencies are required to make information pertaining to transactions, official acts, or decisions available to the public.
“1. Official acts of public officers done in the pursuit of their official functions;
2. Judicial or quasi-judicial decisions or orders as well as records of court cases in whatever stage, and policy decisions of public officers, boards, commissions or tribunals;
3. Transactions, contracts and agreements, whether the government is a nominal or active contracting or counter-party, including negotiations or definite propositions of the government leading to the consummation of the transactions, contracts and agreements;
4. Government research data used as basis for policy development, enactment of statutes, rules and regulations, and execution of transactions, contracts and agreements, whether the government is a nominal or active contracting or counter-party, including negotiations or definite propositions of the government leading to the consummation of the transactions, contracts and agreements;
5. Laws, policies, rules and procedure, work programs, projects and performance targets, performance reports;
6. Public and private writings coming into the hands of public officers in connection with their official functions;
7. Books of account, ledgers, and other documents of whatever nature or character used as basis for applications, reports or returns or other documents regardless of nature or character submitted to the government; and
8. All other information required by law to be accessible to the public.”
Aside from minimizing graft and corruption, the bill gives citizens a chance to participate in matters related to the government. Although the bill has a good purpose especially when it comes to granting access to the public so they too can obtain necessary information, the bill has yet to undergo long process. Is this bill going to die a natural death? Is there still hope for the bill to become a law eventually? While the corrupt and powerful continues to sit on a throne and this bill has not yet win sustainable nods, the country’s fight against corruption will become a useless battle. The dream of a country free of corruption is probably dead and the hopes of openness and transparency may have also died along with it.
