THE Senate’s approval of Senate Bill No. 1432, or the proposed People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, authored by Sen. Joel Villanueva and sponsored by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, marks what many observers describe as the culmination of a nearly 25-year legislative struggle to institutionalize a comprehensive right to information in the Philippines. It passed third reading in the Senate on May 4, 2026 with overwhelming support from 22 senators.
At present, the Philippines does not yet have a Freedom of Information law enacted by Congress. Instead, access to government information is currently governed by an executive issuance—Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016 (Philippine FOI Program)—which was issued during the Duterte administration. As published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, this order operationalized the right of access to information but applied solely to the Executive branch. It does not extend to Congress, the Judiciary, constitutional commissions, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, or state universities and colleges, resulting in a limited and fragmented FOI framework.
The push for a full FOI law is not new. According to Villanueva, FOI bills have been repeatedly filed in Congress since the early 2000s. Despite broad public backing, these measures consistently stalled due to debates over national security exemptions, institutional resistance, and concerns over administrative burden. Senate Bill No. 1432 seeks to address these longstanding gaps by expanding FOI coverage to all branches of government and key public institutions, effectively converting FOI into a universal statutory right rather than a selective executive policy.
A particularly notable feature is the mandatory online publication of the SALN (Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth) of high-ranking officials, including the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and members of Congress. Contracts involving substantial public expenditure—particularly those reaching ₱50 million or more—are likewise subject to mandatory disclosure.
At the same time, the bill preserves recognized exemptions involving national security, law enforcement operations, foreign relations, and privileged communications within the Executive and Congress for the continuing legal balance between transparency and confidentiality in governance.
With its passage in the Senate, the bill now proceeds to the House of Representatives. Its final enactment will determine whether the Philippines finally achieves a fully institutionalized FOI law after 25 years of legislative persistence, or whether transparency reform will again remain confined to executive policy.
