Vargas sees swift approval of 6 bills
QUEZON City Rep. Alfred Vargas on Wednesday expressed confidence Congress will fast-track the approval of six pending bills mentioned by President Duterte as priority measures during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.
These bills, all principally authored by Vargas, are the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers, the provision for Legal Assistance for Police, Military, and other Uniformed Personnel; the establishment of the Philippine Center for Disease Control, the modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection, setting up Evacuation Centers in all local government units, and the proposed Freedom Of Information (FOI) Act.
“With the President’s clear mandate for Congress to approve these priority measures during his last year in office, I am confident that my colleagues in both the House and Senate will expedite their approval,” Vargas said.
“These bills address urgent national concerns, and their approval will be a fitting legacy of the President’s and Congress’ unflinching desire to improve the welfare of our people,” he added.
These bills were filed from 2018 to 2020 and are either pending at Committee level or have been approved by the House and transmitted to the Senate.
Vargas is hopeful that Congress will soon approve the FOI Bill, or House Bill 5776, titled “An Act Enabling the People’s Constitutional Right of Access to Information.” The bill was filed in 2019.
The Quezon City lawmaker said a law is needed to ensure that the principles of transparency and the public’s access to information embodied in Executive Order 2 signed by President Duterte in July 2016 “will not be reversed by succeeding administrations.”
“The EO in itself is a victory for FOI advocates and a testament to the President’s adherence to the principles of transparency and accountability in government. An FOI Law will ensure that these principles are adhered to and observed by succeeding administrations,” he said.
Among other provisions, the Vargas FOI Bill calls for the establishment of an independent Freedom of Information Commission that will act as a gatekeeper for government information.
The Commission will handle all requests for access to government information, provide a mechanism for appeals, and give technical guidance to government agencies in implementing FOI.
