REVILLA VOWS TO PUSH ACCESS TO INFO

Senator Bong Revilla expressed assurance that he will continue to push for the passage of the Freedom of Access to Information Bill even though he is no longer the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.

"Rest assured that I will exert all possible efforts in support of the Freedom of Access to Information Bill. Transparency of government records is vital in exposing scandals and criminal acts of government officials. It will greatly help to eradicate corruption," Revilla said.

He appealed to newly-installed Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media Chairman Allan Peter Cayetano to start the public hearings on the much-awaited Freedom of Access to Information Bill as soon as possible.

Revilla clarified that the Freedom of Access to Information Bill is among the priority proposals that he is set to tackle this opening of the New Year.

"We were supposed to conduct the public hearing on the said bill, but we were caught by the change of committee chairmanships," he pointed out.

It could be recalled that Revilla urged the full implementation of the Freedom of the Press and Right to Information during the controversial issuance of the PNP of the memorandum on police blotter last year.

He stressed that the government must make it sure that there will be no curtailment of Freedom of the Press and Right to Information as guaranteed by the Constitution.

"The Freedom to Access to Information Bill should be tackled as soon as possible. Among the issues that should be discussed and agreed upon are the amount of fines and the extent of the suspensions that will be imposed," Revilla explained.

The Freedom to Access to Information Bill is aimed to provide transparency in all government records, except for those involving national security and other information prohibited by law to be divulged, such as sensitive crimes against women and child abuse.