Media observe FOI Day, conduct vigil on killings
The passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill has yet to see the light of day in the current administration. The media community has not ceased urging President Aquino to make it a law. In the observance of the FOI Day on August 15, various media organizations and media practitioners once again prompt the government to prioritize its passage. The public is also asked to join in the nationwide call as media outlets and journalists publish the pooled editorial in newspapers, online, and social media demanding: “With time fast running out on the 15th Congress, the long wait for the FOI Act should be over yesterday. The time for decision is now.” “ Citizens need and must know how public officials exercise their powers and authorities, how they spend public funds, what contracts and agreements they sign and seal on our behalf, what policy issues bother them that must also bother us so we may participate in making decisions,” the editorial says. The joint positio...