Solon: Aquino impeachment may delay FOI passage

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the Joint Session of the 16th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday (July 28, 2014). The SONA delivered by the President is a yearly tradition wherein the Chief Executive reports on the status of the country, unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year, and may also propose to Congress certain legislative measures. (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau)

MANILA — A lawmaker said on Tuesday that the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill may further be delayed by the impeachment complaints filed against President Aquino.

The FOI bill which has been pending on Congress for years, may have a good chance of passage on the second regular session, according to Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao , and Isabela’s Fourth District representative, in a Philippine Star report.

The president also has assured the public in a good governance forum that the FOI bill will finally be enacted into a law before his term ends in 2016.

Last Monday, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte also made a “special pitch” encouraging the lawmakers to enact a “viable” FOI law that will strengthen the administration’s movement toward transparency and accountability.

Despite this, Aggabao said that he sees the bill’s passage to get delayed by the two impeachment complaints filed against Aquino.

“The only kink I see would be the busy schedule of Congress. The budget hearing plus the impeachment complaints would surely occupy a good part of our time,” Aggabao said.

The impeachment complaints were filed against the president following the Supreme Court’s decision to declare certain parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to be unconstitutional.

With reports from Philippine Star