Almost after assumption from office as president of the republic, His Excellency Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued an executive order making true his promise for the passage of the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION, however such executive order is only effective regarding the ambit of the Executive Department only. Be that as it may, such an act is very commendable since it would pave the way for the total transparency of the Philippine bureacracy granting that Congress would pass such a law in due time.
After the issuance of the said executive order, Congress entertained the possibility of the passage of the FOI BILL and after committee hearings, one of the houses of congress (the House of Representatives I believe) has recommended that the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION be passed as a law but with one hundred sixty six (166) exceptions. This development clearly negates the executive order of the president, since the same would not be considered as a law, and the law that is supposed to be passed has many exceptions which would clearly render its spirit ineffectual.
I hope that this development can be corrected by the good president since he is the sole head of the so-called "super majority" in both the House of Senate and the House of Representatives. The president can lobby before both houses of congress to limit the exceptions to few things only through his Presidential Legislative Adviser so as to make the proposed Freedom of Information Bill being envisioned by the majority of the citizens come into fruition so as toi unmasked irregularities in all government institutions, entities, subsidiaries and departments.
As expected the members of the House of Senate and the House of Representatives who have something to protect, for personal purposes make some provisos which may suit to their individual ends, and this must be corrected for it may render the executive order of the respected president regarding the Freedom of Information nugatory if not a DEAD LETTER EXECUTIVE ORDER.
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