Absence of House members kills Freedom of Info bill

Some shouted in protest while others shed tears as they all watched the House of Representatives adjourn its session without acting on a freedom of information bill that could have been ratified in minutes. With only 128 out of 268 members present, the House failed to ratify the reconciled version of the measure that would have increased government transparency by allowing citizens’ easier access to government documents and data, and imposing penalties for denying the right. The Senate ratified the measure four months ago. At least 135 House members are needed to constitute a quorum and enable the chamber to tackle legislative matters. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, who promised the bill would be ratified on Friday, said he was "at a loss on what to say." "The rules of the House are very clear, you have to be on the floor," Nograles said. "We cannot take up any legislative business without [a] quorum." Lawmakers who supported the bill and advocates of the bill from media and civil society groups who were in the audience were furious. "How can we say we are the House of the people if we cannot even do our job?" Cibac party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva said to resounding applause. Villanueva called for the implementation of Section 74 of the House Rules, which gives the House leadership the power to compel House members to enter the session hall, but Nograles did not act on it. The FOI bill could have been ratified immediately as it was the first piece of legislation taken up when session opened, but Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo objected and called for a roll call. Nograles immediately suspended the session to talk to Romualdo, but Romualdo refused to withdraw his motion and reiterated that a roll call must be done. "It pained me so much considering that you and I have been together for so long a time. Almost on your bended knees you requested me to withdraw...[but] this is a question of principle," said Romualdo. He and Nograles — who both belong toLakas-Kampi-CMD — were both human rights lawyers in the 1970s. Romualdo said he was ensuring that the majority of lawmakers were there for the FOI’s enactment because it was an important bill that he claimed was not deliberated upon. "The House is practically being pressured to pass this bill," said Romualdo. But Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, another main proponent of the bill, pointed out that the bill had actually been pending in Congress for nine years. He later walked out of the session hall after saying Romualdo's statements were an "insult" to the 180 sponsors of the measure. After the session was adjourned, Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III insinuated that it was suspicious how the House leadership chose not to compel the congressmen who were inside the Batasan complex but outside the session hall to enter. The secretary-general said there were 142 congressmen prior to the roll call, Tañada said. "That was right before they started the roll call and then we noticed some people were stepping out so if you would notice the statement of the Speaker, sabi ni Speaker 'in the hall'," he said. "Six years na andito po ako, labas-pasok yung mga tao binibilang yan, hindi sinasabi ni Speaker na 'in the hall'," he said. (I’ve been here for six years and during that time, people who went in and out were counted. The Speaker never said before, ‘count only those in the hall.’) Because of the House's failure to ratify the bill, the credibility of Nograles and the 14th Congress was effectively buried, said Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism executive director Malou Mangahas. "Ang ating binuburol ngayon [ay] ang reputasyon, respeto, at isang salita ni Speaker Nograles at ng 14th Congress," she said. Nograles later apologized for the chamber's failure to pass the bill, which could have been immediately transmitted to the President for signing. "I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough," Nograles said in a text message to reporters. Nograles said he did not expect the incident to take place because the bill's 180 sponsors could have been enough to ratify the bill but some of them did not show up. "This is beyond my control," Nograles said. "I'm sorry." Nograles is one of the authors of the bill. For Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino, the non-ratification of the bill was a "disgrace" to Congress. But he said it was a "fitting end to a Congress that, for the last three years, has zealously protected the President and her minions from being held accountable for the crimes against the people." "It was obvious from the start that the House leadership and Malacañang frowned upon the FOI bill because they feared it would be used to hold them accountable for corruption," Casino said. Palace distances itself from House’s failure to enact FOI Meanwhile, Malacañang has washed its hands of the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the Freedom of Information bill. Press Undersecretary Rogelio Peyuan expressed hope the measure will be passed in the 15th Congress, as he insisted that the Palace wanted the bill enacted. "Hindi totoo ang mga hinala na may kumpas ng kamay ni President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ang hindi pagpasa sa Freedom of Information Bill," he said in a statement posted on the Office of the Press Secretary website (www.news.ops.gov.ph). (It's not true that the President has a hand in the non-passage of the FOI.) Mrs. Arroyo's allies form the majority in the current House of Representatives. Her Lakas-Kampi-CMD also claims to have the majority of members in the House of Representatives — including Mrs. Arroyo herself as Pampanga representative — in the next Congress. Peyuan also said the Palace hopes lawmakers in the 15th Congress will "see the light." "We expect that they immediately attend to this bill once it is refiled because there's nothing better we can offer society but the passage of this bill," he said. - RJAB Jr./HS, GMANews.TV