House body OKs bill facilitating access to state information

MANILA, Philippines - Access to public information will eventually become easier with a measure approved at the committee level at the House of Representatives. House Bill (HB) 3732, or the proposed Freedom of Information Act, which was approved by the committee on public information before Congress went on a month-long Lenten break, requires all state offices to make available for public scrutiny, copying and reproduction of all information pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as research data used as basis for policy development, regardless of their physical format and source. Exempted from the bill’s coverage are information the President declared as "classified" and were compiled for internal and external defenses and law enforcement purposes, obtained by Congress in an executive session, on medical and personnel records which could constitute invasion of privacy, and pertaining to ongoing treaty negotiations, among others. Committee Secretary Mari Fe Janet D. Sumalpong said in an interview access to information will be enhanced since the exemptions are limited. Asked if it will have an impact on the constitutional right of executive privilege or the writ of habeas data, Ms. Sumalpong said that the committee has limited the power of the Executive to withhold access to information only in times of war and emergency. "The measure will really provide for a broader access to information, as it can be observed, the measure now provides for easy access to contracts of the government with private or public entities. "Currently, we don’t have an implementing law that governs right to access so the measure will now clearly define the information that are available and will further promote transparency for the government." Violative advertisements Meanwhile, the same committee has approved a bill that seeks to penalize advertisements violating women and glorifying sexual violence. HB 2811, principally authored by Dinagat Islands Rep. Glenda B. Ecleo, defines sexual violence as any prejudice, discrimination, harassment or physical violence committed upon a person by another because of his or her gender or the perception that persons belonging to a particular gender are weak. Sexual exploitation was defined as any portrayal or attitude of an individual or an object as sexually attractive or stimulating, whose portrayal or attitude are naturally calculated to excite impure imaginations and are not germane to the goods or services that are advertised. Entitled "Advertisement Regulation Act," the bill will penalize advertising agencies, television or radio station if they air advertisements violating women. Sought for comment, women’s right advocates in Congress, Gabriela Reps. Liza L. Maza and Luzviminda C. Ilagan, have backed the bill which is a first step in stopping exploitation of women. "Media influences attitude, opinion and action, thus lessening exploitation by penalizing violators is a good step. [However] regulation is just an initial step," said Ms. Ilagan in a text message to BusinessWorld. In a related development, Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr. has filed a bill that seeks to regulate advertisements during daytime. Senate Bill 724 aims to regulate advertisements shown on hours children normally watch TV, usually during mornings and afternoons, to avoid their exposure to exploitive advertisements. - Ava Kashima K. Austria/BusinessWorld