Posted at 11/04/2011 4:09 PM | Updated as of 11/04/2011 6:19 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The devil is in the details, at least
for President Aquino when it comes to the proposed Freedom of
Information (FOI) Bill.
In an interview on YouTube's Worldview series, Aquino confirmed his administration is consulting various stakeholders to hammer out a final version of the FOI Bill.
He said some of the concerns raised by stakeholders and officials involve the release of sensitive information to the public.
"We are adhering to the constitutional provision that citizens are entitled to information that affect their decisions. ...The difficulty is the devil in the details. When does it help the interests of the people and when can it inflict harm?" he asked.
One example cited by the President is the construction of roads where right of way is one of the major costs.
"Should we, in the design stage, say which route we are going to follow and drive up the price of that land, which ultimately Juan dela Cruz will have to shoulder the burden of? Or would it be better if we acquired the right of way at the prevailing prices before announcing in entirety the proposed route?" he said.
Another example he cited is the possible discovery of a SARS patient in a locality. Instead of announcing the information, the government could simply back-track on all persons that had come in contact with the patient to see if the disease had spread.
He said another example would be raw information that a major bank had absconded with its' clients' money. The President said information like that could be brought to his attention during Cabinet meetings, which could be aired in the media due to freedom of information.
"At the end of the day, without any supporting documents, [the Cabinet official] could be held liable for libel, which would force him to clam up," he said.
Aquino said that when he was a child, he was told that "absolute freedom is the greatest actual imprisonment."
"There has to be some discipline. Our system of laws say you have freedom of speech but freedom of speech does not allow you to say there's a fire in a movie theater," he said.
As proof of his administration's transparency, the President said his administration has engaged civil society groups to show how government agencies are crafting their budgets.
Aquino said those championing the FOI bill do not doubt that he will reveal everything that needs to be revealed.
"But they are saying that when I am gone, what is their legal backstop that it (government transparency) can continue," he added.
http://bit.ly/uaezmt
In an interview on YouTube's Worldview series, Aquino confirmed his administration is consulting various stakeholders to hammer out a final version of the FOI Bill.
He said some of the concerns raised by stakeholders and officials involve the release of sensitive information to the public.
"We are adhering to the constitutional provision that citizens are entitled to information that affect their decisions. ...The difficulty is the devil in the details. When does it help the interests of the people and when can it inflict harm?" he asked.
One example cited by the President is the construction of roads where right of way is one of the major costs.
"Should we, in the design stage, say which route we are going to follow and drive up the price of that land, which ultimately Juan dela Cruz will have to shoulder the burden of? Or would it be better if we acquired the right of way at the prevailing prices before announcing in entirety the proposed route?" he said.
Another example he cited is the possible discovery of a SARS patient in a locality. Instead of announcing the information, the government could simply back-track on all persons that had come in contact with the patient to see if the disease had spread.
He said another example would be raw information that a major bank had absconded with its' clients' money. The President said information like that could be brought to his attention during Cabinet meetings, which could be aired in the media due to freedom of information.
"At the end of the day, without any supporting documents, [the Cabinet official] could be held liable for libel, which would force him to clam up," he said.
Aquino said that when he was a child, he was told that "absolute freedom is the greatest actual imprisonment."
"There has to be some discipline. Our system of laws say you have freedom of speech but freedom of speech does not allow you to say there's a fire in a movie theater," he said.
As proof of his administration's transparency, the President said his administration has engaged civil society groups to show how government agencies are crafting their budgets.
Aquino said those championing the FOI bill do not doubt that he will reveal everything that needs to be revealed.
"But they are saying that when I am gone, what is their legal backstop that it (government transparency) can continue," he added.
http://bit.ly/uaezmt
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