Bill to allow public access to government records passes first hurdle

Three Senate committees have approved a draft of the proposed Freedom of Information bill, which will allow the public to access government records. The committees on public information, civil service and finance wrapped up its second public hearing yesterday, with a report set to be routed to committee members for their signature. Once enough signatures are obtained, the draft bill will be brought to the plenary for debates. According to neophyte senator Grace Poe Llamanzares, they hope to submit the committee report by Sept 24. FOI aims to reduce red tape the public encounters when requesting for government records. In the last Congress, the Senate approved a version of the bill, but the counterpart version at the House of Representatives failed to gather support from lawmakers. MM

[Philippine Daily Inquirer]