Press Release
MANILA – The House Committee on Public Information, chaired by Rep. Lordan Suan, has approved the substitute bill on the proposed Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2026.
Also known as the Act Enabling the People’s Constitutional Right of Access to Information and the State Policy of Full Public Disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest, the measure, which the panel approved on March 16, seeks to institutionalize and operationalize the people’s right to information across all branches of government.
In his opening statement, Suan said the committee has “remained committed to the goal we have set: to craft a measure that promotes transparency and invites healthy public scrutiny while responsibly safeguarding legitimate concerns such as privacy and national security.”
The approved substitute bill was the result of three technical working group (TWG) sessions that consolidated all RTI-related bills.
Led by the Committee on Public Information Vice Chairperson Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, the TWG included representatives from government and non-government stakeholders–among them the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), which currently oversees the implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Program in the Executive branch.
Through a line-by-line review of the bill’s provisions, the TWG produced a measure that is both administratively workable and faithful to the constitutional policy of transparency in government. These efforts were also complemented by a series of formal and informal consultations.
Yamsuan presented the substitute bill before the Committee reflecting consensus among participating agencies and stakeholders, as well as refinements introduced during the TWG process.
He noted that the measure enables citizens to make informed decisions and participate in governance.
“We also give our people something even more important: hope or pag-asa. Hope that their rights matter, hope that their voices count, and hope that their government is truly working for them,” he said.
The panel approved the bill following a motion by Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña.
On March 17, the Senate approved Senate Bill (SB) 1432, sponsored by Senator Robinhood Padilla, entitled “An Act Implementing the People’s Right to Information and the Constitutional Policies of Full Public Disclosure and Honesty in the Public Service, and for Other Purposes.
The measure follows three decades of legislative efforts to pass a national access-to-information law.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has certified the RTI Act as a priority legislative measure and is expected to be passed by June 2026, as reiterated during the 3rd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) full meeting of the 20th Congress.
This development is a significant step toward establishing a national framework for public access to information, reaffirming that information held by the government is held in trust for the people. (PR)
