House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III welcomed the approval by the House Committee on Public Information of the substitute bill on the proposed Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2026, saying the measure would empower citizens and strengthen the country’s fight against corruption.
Dy said institutionalizing the people’s right to access information is a crucial step in promoting transparency and ensuring that the government remains accountable to the public.
“Ang kaalaman po ay kapangyarihan.”
“Kapag ang mamamayan ay may access sa impormasyon, magagamit ito bilang mabisang instrumento sa ating laban kontra katiwalian. Ang kaalaman po ay kapangyarihan. Kung abot-kamay ito ng taumbayan, mas nagiging responsable at maingat ang pamahalaan sa bawat desisyong ginagawa nito,” the Speaker said.
The veteran legislator noted that transparency is one of the strongest safeguards against abuse of power, emphasizing that when citizens are given access to government information, they are better equipped to scrutinize public actions and hold institutions accountable.
The seasoned lawmaker pointed out that “an informed citizenry leads to better governance. When people are able to access information, they are able to participate more meaningfully in public discourse and contribute to shaping policies that affect their lives”.
The House Committee on Public Information, chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Representative Lordan Suan, approved the substitute bill and its committee report recently.
The measure seeks to implement the people’s constitutional right to access information and enforce the State policy of full public disclosure of government transactions involving public interest.
In his opening statement, Suan said the bill affirms the principle that information held by the government belongs to the people and should be accessible to enable meaningful public participation in governance.
“Information held by the government is held in trust for the people.”
According to the legislator, “by institutionalizing the people’s right to information, we affirm a simple but powerful principle: information held by the government is held in trust for the people.”
He noted that lawmakers and stakeholders worked to refine the proposal to balance transparency with safeguards for privacy and national security.
Suan also pointed out that similar proposals have remained pending in Congress for more than three decades, but said the 20th Congress has moved the measure closer to passage as lawmakers push to strengthen accountability and public access to information.
