The colorful relationship between the Filipino people and their government is often clouded by distrust owing to a perceived lack of transparency to the public. For a nation that is still building on the foundations of hard-earned democracy, it is essential for the public to have convenient access to ail publicly relevant information.

This bill seeks to lay down a framework for all government agencies to be able to provide all publicly relevant information to any citizen requesting for it. With this bill, each government agency will be mandated to provide a Freedom of Information manual that allows both citizens and government employees to be clearly informed on the process of obtaining and disseminating publicly relevant information.

With this legislation, all branches of government will be required to post information such as their monthly collections and disbursements, procurement contracts and agreements with local and foreign contractors for projects.

All Filipinos, whether individuals, businesses or community organizations, have the right to access information which is related to the governance of their nation and that informs national policy, except for information that is pertinent to national security.

An efficient and accessible process for the procurement of public information will serve to democratize all government functions by allowing ordinary citizens, civil society organizations, and businesses to be informed and have a greater understanding of policies.

Aside from this mandate serving as a watchdog against corruption and abuse of public funds, it will also allow ordinary citizens to educate themselves on how government agencies allocate funds, what information is used to inform policies, who are the key officials in government offices and this—amongst other information—they will be better able to help our officials in responsible and participative governance.

this bill will benefit both government servants and the public who will have an open and trusting relationship that is inclusive, bringing governance in the hands of each and every Filipino.