MANILA — House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III welcomed the approval of the substitute bill for the proposed Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2026 by the House Committee on Public Information, saying it will empower citizens and reinforce efforts against corruption.

Dy said institutionalizing the public’s right to access government information is vital for promoting transparency and holding officials accountable.

“Kapag ang mamamayan ay may access sa impormasyon, magagamit ito bilang mabisang instrumento sa ating laban kontra katiwalian. Ang kaalaman po ay kapangyarihan. Kung abot-kamay ito ng taumbayan, mas nagiging responsable at maingat ang pamahalaan sa bawat desisyong ginagawa nito,” he said.

(When citizens have access to information, it can be used as an effective tool in our fight against corruption. Knowledge is power. When it is within the people’s reach, government becomes more responsible and careful in every decision it makes.)

Dy emphasized that transparency is a key safeguard against abuse of power, allowing citizens to scrutinize public actions and hold institutions accountable. “An informed citizenry leads to better governance. When people are able to access information, they are able to participate more meaningfully in public discourse and contribute to shaping policies that affect their lives,” he added.

The House Committee on Public Information, chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Lordan Suan, approved the substitute bill and its committee report on Tuesday. The measure seeks to enforce the people’s constitutional right to information and uphold the State policy of full public disclosure of government transactions involving public interest.

In his opening remarks, Suan said the bill reinforces the principle that government-held information belongs to the people and should be accessible to enable meaningful public participation in governance.

“By institutionalizing the people’s right to information, we affirm a simple but powerful principle: information held by government is held in trust for the people,” Suan said.

He added that the proposal balances transparency with safeguards for privacy and national security. Similar measures have been pending in Congress for over 30 years, but the 20th Congress has advanced the RTI bill closer to passage to strengthen accountability and public access to government information.