Congress has reconvened to discuss pending bills in both houses. The ongoing impeachment trial of our Chief Justice, the teleserye that Filipinos have been looking forward to, will also resume. Among the bills to be discussed is the Freedom of Information Act or FOI. This has been a hot topic within the media circle especially that World Press Freedom Day was celebrated last May 3.
The FOI gives us the privilege of accessing official records, documents, and other transactions of the government. It is like an expansion to the right to information enshrined in our Constitution. It also upholds press freedom as it helps journalists who are covering beats close to the government.
Why should a young person like me be concerned with the bills that Congress will be talking about? Let me tell you this. For one, everyone is directly affected by it because these bills will become the laws that govern the nation that we are in. Second, the people next in line who would benefit from these laws are no other than us, the next generation. That is how important the law is to a teenager who is rather much engrossed with the latest fashion trend than with the state of the nation.
With all the threats a journalist faces in his/her everyday work, there is no full press freedom at all. The Philippines was once dubbed as the worst place for a journalist to work in when the Maguindanao massacre happened. It was a stain in the reputation of the free country we are claiming to have. This has become a threat to aspiring journalists and to the students in the field of communication.
But I’d like to say we’re partly free, better than the information ban being experienced in China and Russia. The information age is what drives young writers to expand their horizons, and we’re already very lucky to have our lines open. Therefore, there is no reason for aspirants to be scared. It’s only a matter of being careful.
Going back to Congress, I really hope that the FOI will be passed. If this happens, imagine the numerous information we can find out about the government and its transactions. However, a speck exists in the bill for media outlets – the right of reply. This compels such outlets to broadcast or publish all reactions and comments by the readers. To me, this is already useless because readers and listeners are already actually enjoying being able to express their views or give their reactions through radio/TV programs, social media and through the newspapers’ opinion page.
They say your freedom ends where my nose begins. There is always a limitation to freedom and liberty. But for the press and all other outfits who strive to get the truth out, they deserve access to the information they need for them to write or feature stories that are of interest to the public. This is the reason why they say, “The truth shall set you free” and “The truth prevails.”
**Published in the Freeman newspaper on May 8, 2012
The FOI gives us the privilege of accessing official records, documents, and other transactions of the government. It is like an expansion to the right to information enshrined in our Constitution. It also upholds press freedom as it helps journalists who are covering beats close to the government.
Why should a young person like me be concerned with the bills that Congress will be talking about? Let me tell you this. For one, everyone is directly affected by it because these bills will become the laws that govern the nation that we are in. Second, the people next in line who would benefit from these laws are no other than us, the next generation. That is how important the law is to a teenager who is rather much engrossed with the latest fashion trend than with the state of the nation.
With all the threats a journalist faces in his/her everyday work, there is no full press freedom at all. The Philippines was once dubbed as the worst place for a journalist to work in when the Maguindanao massacre happened. It was a stain in the reputation of the free country we are claiming to have. This has become a threat to aspiring journalists and to the students in the field of communication.
But I’d like to say we’re partly free, better than the information ban being experienced in China and Russia. The information age is what drives young writers to expand their horizons, and we’re already very lucky to have our lines open. Therefore, there is no reason for aspirants to be scared. It’s only a matter of being careful.
Going back to Congress, I really hope that the FOI will be passed. If this happens, imagine the numerous information we can find out about the government and its transactions. However, a speck exists in the bill for media outlets – the right of reply. This compels such outlets to broadcast or publish all reactions and comments by the readers. To me, this is already useless because readers and listeners are already actually enjoying being able to express their views or give their reactions through radio/TV programs, social media and through the newspapers’ opinion page.
They say your freedom ends where my nose begins. There is always a limitation to freedom and liberty. But for the press and all other outfits who strive to get the truth out, they deserve access to the information they need for them to write or feature stories that are of interest to the public. This is the reason why they say, “The truth shall set you free” and “The truth prevails.”
**Published in the Freeman newspaper on May 8, 2012
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