After decades of delay, the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is progressing in the Philippine House of Representatives and Senate. It cleared the committee stage in the House and passed second reading in the Senate in mid-March. Differences remain between the two chambers' versions.
Six months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. added the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill to his legislative agenda, it has advanced in Congress. The proposed Right to Information (RTI) Act cleared the House committee level, while the People’s FOI Act passed second reading in the Senate in mid-March 2026, just before lawmakers' two-month break. The bill has languished for over three decades, nearly passing in 2010 but failing to ratify the conference report. In 2016, former president Rodrigo Duterte issued an FOI executive order, but its many exceptions, like national security, allowed agencies to deny requests, including for the president's SALN. The House version proposes a Right to Information Commission as an oversight body, as committee vice chairman Brian Yamsuan told Rappler: “Establishing that RTI Commission creates a proper mechanism because there is an actual organization behind it. It’s not just a law on paper.” The Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition (R2KRN), via co-convenor Eirene Aguila, welcomed the approval, noting 85% of civil society inputs incorporated, including 3-7 day timelines for regular requests and proactive disclosure. Committee chairman Lordan Suan called it a paradigm shift with agencies volunteering key information. Differences persist: the Senate bill skips the commission and mandates clearer SALN publication for top officials, while the House leaves it to agencies. The House also allows oversight bodies like the CHR access to restricted info. When sessions resume in May, it goes to appropriations and rules committees before plenary. Suan hopes for speed amid transparency demands. Marcos added it to priority bills in September 2025 amid corruption scandals. A bicameral conference awaits to reconcile versions.
