ATIN members during the Right to Know - Right Now! Press Conferece, 27 May 2009, Manila, Philippines; photo courtesy of PCIJ

The right of the people to information held by governments is being recognized by a rapidly growing number of countries around the world. Today, over 70 countries have adopted laws giving citizens the right to access government information.

The Philippines is one among countries that have elevated the right to information into a Constitutional guarantee. Such high level of legal importance accorded to the right to information is only proper given the key role that the right to information plays in securing democracy, good governance, and development.

However, based on the result of The Access Initiative – Philippines Assessment, the Philippines is still far from the full realization of the people’s right to information as well as the avowed policy of full public disclosure of transactions involving public interest. The major gap in the functioning of the right to information in the Philippines is the absence of a comprehensive statute that will complement the existing Constitutional guarantee and relevant jurisprudence. Citizens remain in constant struggle with government agencies for access to important official information.

Thus, starting in 2008, TAI-Philippines became actively involved with the Access to Information Network (ATIN), a group of non-government organizations and other networks advocating for the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill in the country. If passed, the proposed bill will address the many legal loopholes that have allowed government agencies to openly disregard the people’s right to information enshrined in Section 7, Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It provides the implementing legislation for the state policy of full disclosure of all transactions involving public interest – including development projects that could adversely affect the environment.

It has been reported by CSOs working on environment issues in the country that documents, such as Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) of companies, are hard to access even though these are considered public documents by law.

Recently, the push for the immediate passage of the bill intensified as civil society advocates convene in two forums to drum-up support for the bill. ATIN held a campaign meeting with 33 civil society organizations on May 26, 2009 at the University of the Philippines College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) to plan for the group’s advocacy in the Senate where the bill is still pending approval.

This was followed by a Press Conference on May 27 to launch ATIN’s Right to Know. Right Now! campaign during which 35 organizations representing the farmers, women, church, media, business, overseas Filipino workers and the youth, issued a joint statement for the immediate passage of the bill considering the narrowing opportunity due to the upcoming presidential elections.

The lack of legislation on the right to information has grave consequences for the country. The resulting overall lack of transparency in government has impeded the country’s development as it relates directly to the persistence of rampant corruption and environmental degradation. If passed, the proposed Freedom of Information Act will profoundly change the landscape of access to information in the Philippines.