House leaders have reaffirmed the commitment of Congress to pass meaningful legislation that would promote freedom of opinion and expression in the pursuit of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and building a better Philippines.

According to a statement issued by the House on Thursday, House Committee on Justice chair Juliet Marie Ferrer and House Inter-parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy chair Glona Labadlabad made the commitment during their meeting with United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) Irene Khan at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Ferrer said the House has taken steps to uphold freedom of opinion and expression, media freedom, and access to information as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution.

Ferrer highlighted 14 House bills that would operationalize the right to information and the policy of full public disclosure in all government agencies and instrumentalities.

Aside from the Freedom of Information bills, she also noted that measures have been filed to promote the welfare of media workers and protect journalists and their sources.

“The Philippine Congress has enacted and will continue to discuss and enact timely and impactful legislation to uphold the Filipinos’ constitutional right of access to information, freedom of expression, and press freedom,” she said.

Labadlabad, for her part, described the meeting as a “pivotal moment that embodies the House and the UN’s shared commitment to human rights, equality, and open dialogue”.

Khan urged the lawmakers to prioritize three important bills, namely the Human Rights Defenders’ Bill, the Media Welfare Bill, and the possible decriminalization of libel and cyber libel.

“Those three would be absolutely critical to make sure you are on set very well the mainstream of human rights in this country,” Khan said.

Ferrer said the Human Rights Defenders’ Protection Bill has already been approved by the House Committee on Human Rights in February 2023.

KABAYAN Party-list Rep. Ron Salo, who was also present during the meeting, said the provision on rights of the people to freedom of speech, expression and peaceably assemble is already in the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

“It’s self-explanatory, hence, it doesn’t need a bill to implement it,” Salo said.

Salo also pointed out that there are no laws that regulate mass media in the country.

“They are all around. The standards they follow are developed by themselves,” he said.

Khan visited the country to meet with various government agencies to assess the country’s human rights mechanisms.

Khan’s ten-day visit will end on Feb. 2.

Khan is expected to provide recommendations to the UN on enhancing the country’s human rights mechanisms after her 10-day visit. (PNA)

Photo credit: House of Representatives Official Website