Jan 262016
 
-- Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Gringo Honasan show their certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Election in Manila on Monday, the first day of filing of COCs.  Binay and Honasan will run under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for the 2016 election.(MNS photo)

— Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Gringo Honasan show their certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Election in Manila on Monday, the first day of filing of COCs. Binay and Honasan will run under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for the 2016 election. (MNS photo)

MANILA, Jan 26 (Mabuhay) – The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill may finally be passed into law after years of languishing in Congress if Vice President Jejomar Binay becomes the next president of the Philippines.

In an interview on Tuesday with Mike Enriquez over dzBB radio for the “Ikaw Na Ba? The Presidential Interview” program, Binay said he will ask Congress to expedite the passage of the proposed FOI law if he ends up in Malacañang after the May 2016 national elections.

“Ipapakiusap ko sa Kongreso na kung pwede ho ilabas niyo at tapusin niyo na ho ‘yan para magkaroon tayo ng batas tungkol sa freedom of information,” he said, adding that he will certify the measure as urgent so lawmakers will approve it with dispatch.

Although Binay wants to give journalists and the public wider access to information on the government and its officials, he said the FOI bill should contain provisions on ensuring accountability from those who request data.

“Bago ho sana mangyari na magkaroon [ng FOI law] ay magkaroon ng accountability. ‘Yun ang nagiging balakid at ang rason kung bakit sa tingin ko ang Presidente ay hindi gumagawa ng paraan para maging batas [ang FOI bill],” he said.

President Benigno Aquino III made the passage of the FOI bill one of his campaign promises before he was elected into office in 2010. However, the measure has yet to hurdle Congress until now. (MNS)

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