The Philippines House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on March 4 approved the budgetary provisions of the Freedom of Information bill, according to articles in the Philippines Star, the Manila Standard and GMA.
The FOI bill now goes back to the House Committee on Public Information panel, which passed the bill in November, before being transmitted to the plenary for second reading.
“We are happy with the decision of the Appropriations Committee to approve the appropriations provision of the bill, consequently, approving the FOI budget,” Rep. Bary Gutierrez was quoted as saying, calling the budgetary component a crucial factor for implementation. Rep. Gus Tambunting said the approval is “one giant step forward in our wish to have a freedom of information law in this country.”
Section 30 of the FOI Act of 2013 states that “the amount necessary to carry out the provisions of [the] Act [and] shall be charged against the agencies’ current budget and shall thereafter be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.”
The House Committee on Public Information approved the consolidated version of the FOI bill last November 2014. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.)
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