Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a bill seeking to grant the public greater access to government information, stressing that a Freedom of Information (FOI) law is “long overdue.”
The proposed People’s Freedom of Information Act aims to strengthen transparency by mandating the disclosure of government transactions involving matters of public interest, while safeguarding sensitive personal data such as race, ethnicity, medical and education records, and tax returns.
“Transparency is the cornerstone of good governance. To foster accountability, trust, and citizen participation, our Government shall provide ready and complete access to key information to the discerning public,” Sotto said in a media release.
Under the bill, the annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of top officials — including the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, lawmakers, justices, constitutional commissioners, and generals — must be made public.
Government agencies would also be required to post monthly online updates on their budgets, expenditures, income, procurement plans, bidding opportunities, and signed contracts.
Public officials who conceal, destroy, or alter public records would face one to six months in prison and fines ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱100,000.
“In this modern world where data is readily available online, information about government transactions, processes, and actions shall likewise be accessible to our countrymen as a matter of right,” Sotto added.
In the House of Representatives, members of the Liberal Party have also refiled a similar FOI bill, which likewise calls for the disclosure of SALNs of the country’s highest officials.