Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea led the ceremonial turn-over of the signed, sealed, and stamped document of the Executive Order No.2, known as the EO on Freedom of Information (FOI) to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, at the Premiere Guest House in Malacañan, Thursday.
Secretary Medialdea has also tasked the Presidential Communications Office to form an ad-hoc committee to prepare the manual and guidelines to operationalize the EO.
Among those who witnessed the ceremonial turn-over are Malou Mangahas, Right to Know, Right Now Coalition Convenor Eirene E. Aguila; Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas Chairman Herman Z. Basbaño, Manila Broadcasting Company’s Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr., and World Bank Senior Operations Officer Hanif Rahemtulla.
These FOI advocates welcomed the passage of the EO, saying that it is a timely move by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to get rid of corruption in government bureaucracy.
“The EO is definitely a welcome development in the people’s struggle for our right to access information as enshrined in the Constitution. We challenge Congress to prove itself equally responsive by finally overcoming their resistance to FOI and enact a progressive FOI law,” the Right to Know, Right Now Coalition said in a position paper.
Meanwhile, Senate Chairman on Ways and Means Juan Edgardo Angara, and Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Carlos Zarate vowed to work for the passage of an FOI in both houses of Congress.
Senator Angara expressed optimism that both houses of Congress will finally pass the FOI law especially with the support of the President. (PND)