House to resume FOI bill hearings on Nov. 13

MANILA, Philippines - Hearings on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill in the House of Representatives will resume on Nov. 13 amid complaints from a key proponent that the chamber’s leadership is dragging its feet on the measure.

The hearings would resume after Congress returns from a two-week break starting on Oct. 20.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he was able to convince Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III – principal author of the FOI bill – to agree to hold the hearing on that date due to lack of time. The hearing was originally scheduled on Oct. 16.

“I prevailed on Erin (Tañada) to agree to Nov. 13 for the FOI bill. It’s a fixed date. We may adjourn Tuesday next week, and there would be no attendance,” Belmonte said.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, chairman of the House committee on public information, said his panel failed to reserve a room for the hearing next week.

Evardone maintained his committee is doing everything to have the measure approved and ready for plenary approval before the end of the year.

“FOI is very much alive. I’m hopeful it will become a law. Maybe after one or two hearings we will have a committee report already. And maybe we will pass it in the plenary before we go on Christmas break,” Evardone said.

“We are very hopeful that the FOI bill will be approved in the 15th Congress. We are trying our best,” he added.