The Action for Economic Reforms (AER) believes that good governance is built on the foundation of transparency. Thus, AER has since its inception been advocating for a fully functioning people’s right to information held by government.

The Philippines can pride itself of being a country that has elevated the right to information as a distinct Constitutional guarantee. Article III (Bill of Rights), Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution states:

The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.

The 1987 Constitution also enshrines as a state policy the full disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest. Article II (Declaration of Principles and State Policies), Section 28 reads:

Subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law, the State adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.

Notwithstanding the clear guarantee, information users have been in constant struggle with government agencies on the disclosure of information. A major gap in the functioning of the right to information in the Philippines is the absence of a comprehensive statute that will provide the necessary substantive and procedural details to complement the existing constitutional guaranty and relevant jurisprudence. AER has contributed substantively to the development of a progressive right to information bill that forms a basis for the right to information advocacy in the Philippines. 

 In the course of AER’s work on the right to information, it has found common cause with respected organizations involved in public interest work in the fields of media freedom, economy, governance and law, to form the Access to Information Network. Today, in addition to AER, the ATIN counts among its members the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, Ateneo Debate Society, Center for Community Journalism and Development, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Lawyers’ League for Liberty (LIBERTAS), National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Pagbabago@ Pilipinas, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and Transparency and Accountability Network. While working on different issues and frameworks, they have banded together into a network to advocate for the full enjoyment of the people’s right to information guaranteed by the Constitution. ATIN’s work includes pushing for the passage of a freedom of information act, opposing measures that abridge the right to information, and creating greater public awareness of the right to information.

The campaign for the passage of a freedom of information act has made significant progress in the 14th Congress. The Committee on Public Information in the House of Representatives passed on third reading last 12 May 2008 a consolidated bill, HB 3732. For its counterpart measure, the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media has already filed last 3 June 2009 Senate Bill 3308 under Committee Report 534.
The campaign for the passage of the freedom of information act has recently expanded beyond the Access to Information Network. The advocacy now counts more than 100 organizations and coalitions under the banner of the Right to Know. Right Now! Campaign.