LIBERAL Party lawmakers led by Rep. Leila de Lima (PL, Mamamayang Liberal) yesterday refiled a bill seeking to ensure the public’s access to information being held by the government.
The lawmakers filed House Bill No. 2897, or the “People’s Freedom of Information Act of 2025,” which they said is meant to “adequately address the vulnerabilities and problems that arise from the lack of transparency and access to information.”
The bill’s authors said the measure seeks “to truly implement the people’s right to information and the constitutional policies of full public disclosure and honesty in public service.”
“Current inconsistencies and lack of mandatory disclosure highlight the need for a legislated freedom of information (FOI) policy. This bill is a powerful weapon against corruption, disinformation and the absence of integrity and accountability in the government,” De Lima said in mixed English and Filipino.
For violators, the bill proposes a penalty of imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and a fine of P100,000 to P1 million.
No FOI law has been passed despite bills filed for such purpose. Former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 issued Executive Order No. 2 on FOI, but this was limited to the executive branch and lacked enforcement mechanisms.
The other LP lawmakers who filed the bill were Edgar Erice (Caloocan City), Adrian Michael Amatong (Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (Oriental Mindoro).
Under HB 2897, all Filipino citizens, upon request, “have a right to, and shall be given access to any record under the control of government agencies.”
The bill mandates government agencies and public officials “to disclose and make available for scrutiny, copying, and reproduction all information pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as government research data used as a basis for policy development.”
The measure, however, provides specific reasons to deny access to public information such as those relating to national security, foreign affairs, internal/external defense, law enforcement procedures, and trade secrets; records or minutes of advice given and of opinions expressed during decision-making or policy formulation of the Chief Executive; assistance to overseas Filipino workers, including but not limited to their cases and records on criminal and family cases; and if the information requested involves records of foreign diplomats on diplomatic and consular missions, their arrival and departure, and other information that could compromise their safety.
FOI requests can also be denied if the information requested is exempted under a treaty or bilateral agreement to which the Philippines is a party; the information requested is obtained by either house of Congress, or any committee thereof, in executive session; the information requested is premature and/or is a mere draft; if it involves matters of privileged communication – as defined in the Rules of Court, and information pertaining to personal privacy, and other constitutionally or legally protected information, among other sensitive details and information, and those protected under RA No. 10173 or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012.”
The bill mandates websites of government agencies to contain a matrix of requests made, current status, and decision on the request. Once the information is released to one party, it must be accessible to the public.
