Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP), on Monday, 18 July 2011, petitioned the House of Representatives to enact the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act of 2011 through the "indirect initiative" provision pursuant to Sections 3(b) and 11 of Republic Act No. 6735 or the Initiative and Referendum Act.

"Indirect initiative" is the exercise of initiative by the people through a proposition sent to Congress for action, wherein any duly accredited people's organization may file a petition in the House of Representatives for the latter to enact an initiative bill and for the concerned committee to give it precedence over pending legislative measures.

AKP Chairman Manuel Dayrit said, "This petition supports and seeks to institutionalize President Aquino's campaign slogan, 'Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,' and admonishes Congress to prioritize and pass the law on FOI."

The FOI bill had been pending in Congress for the last ten years, since 2001.

Its most lamentable setback came about when the 14th Congress, failing to muster a quorum in the House of Representatives, adjourned last year without ratifying the bicameral bill, contrary to what its leaders had promised.

Meanwhile, Malacanang's 12 priority bills do not include the measure, despite efforts urging President Aquino to do so in four (4) open letters sent by the Right to Know! Right Now! Coalition, a network of organizations and individuals from various sectors that have long been campaigning for the passage of the Freedom of Information Act.

As efforts by advocates continue, Malacanang's position may finally be revealed on July 25, 2011, when President Aquino is expected to deliver his second State Of The Nation Address, dubbed as SONA 2011, before the congress.

AKP Secretary-General Norman Cabrera stressed that in filing the initiative FOI Act of 2011, which was drawn from the bicameral version of the 14th Congress, AKP is addressing the indifference of government in general by invoking the law that empowers people to propose measures and that mandates Congress to prioritize the same.

"While this petition could be a remedy to avoid the same fate this Act has had over the years, we remain hopeful that our lawmakers in the 15th Congress will see the light and that our beloved President will live up to his promise of ending unbridled corruption in our country. Passing the FOI bill is the best way to start and the necessity for it lies in the antithesis to the President's slogan, 'maraming corrupt, kaya maraming mahirap,'" Cabrera added.

Media contact
NORMAN V. CABRERA
(0918) 905 6569
nv_cabrera2003@yahoo.com

MANUEL K. DAYRIT
(0917) 984 3369