Senate leaders vow support
for Freedom of Info Act

Senate leaders promised to give the people an early Christmas gift by passing the Freedom of Information Act before Christmas this year.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri gave the commitment to members of the Right to Know, Right Now Network, an alliance of 70 media and civil society groups that have been pushing for greater transparency and accountability in government.

The Network gathered more than a hundred members for an assembly in front of the Senate yesterday to remind the chamber to act on the measure, which would define the procedure for accessing government documents and other information, and penalize government officers who violate this law.

The measure has been in suspended animation in Congress for the last eight years, and Network leaders are worried that legislators will be too busy with the coming 2010 elections to finally pass the bill before Congress adjourns.