MANILA—Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a measure seeking to implement the public’s constitutional right to access information, saying a Freedom of Information (FOI) law is “long overdue.”

The proposed measure, titled 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, will be known as the “People’s Freedom of Information Act of 2025.”

“Transparency is the cornerstone of good governance. To foster accountability, trust and citizen participation, our Government shall provide ready and complete access to key information to the discerning public,” Sotto said.

Under the bill, citizens would have the right to access information on matters of public concern, with all government transactions involving public interest subject to full disclosure. However, sensitive personal information such as race, ethnicity, origin, health records, education, tax returns, and other personal records will remain classified.

The measure also mandates the disclosure of the annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of top officials, including the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, members of constitutional commissions, other constitutional office holders, and Armed Forces officers with general or flag ranks.

All government agencies will be required to post and regularly update on their websites a register of transactions, documents, and records such as annual budgets, monthly collections and disbursements, summaries of income and expenditures, procurement plans and lists, items to bid, and procurement contracts.

Public officials who conceal, deny, destroy, alter, tamper with, or modify information could face imprisonment of one to six months and fines ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱100,000.

“In this modern world where data is readily available online, information about government transactions, processes and actions shall likewise be accessible to our countrymen as a matter of right,” Sotto said.