Senator Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday called for the immediate passage of the long-delayed Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, saying it is a critical tool for empowering citizens and holding government officials accountable, especially amid continuing revelations of large-scale corruption.

At the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, Tulfo underscored the urgent need for transparency in governance, emphasizing that the FOI bill would give every Filipino the right to scrutinize how public funds are being used.

“Our people have long been promised transparency, yet today many walls still stand between them and the truth. FOI tears down those walls,” Tulfo said.

He added. “It gives every Filipino the power to know how their taxes are spent, who profits from their hard work, and who among us have betrayed their trust.”

The proposed FOI legislation aims to mandate full public disclosure of government transactions, contracts, budgets, and decisions, excluding only those deemed a threat to national security or privacy. 

The measure has languished in Congress for years, despite being a regular fixture in good governance agendas.

Tulfo argued that the FOI law is “more relevant than ever,” citing the wave of recent corruption scandals involving ghost and substandard infrastructure projects.

“In this time when we continue to uncover revelations of large-scale corruption in government, the relevance of the FOI cannot be overstated,” he stressed.

“The truth is—it is the strongest weapon we can give to our people. Without it, there can be no real accountability, no real justice,” he added. 

While a version of the FOI has been implemented through an executive order signed in 2016 for the Executive Branch, it remains non-binding for Congress, the Judiciary, and even local governments. 

The passage of a full FOI law would institutionalize access to information as a statutory right across all levels of government.