For over a decade now, advocates of transparency and accountability have been tirelessly fighting for an enabling law to be enacted to realize the people’s constitutional right to information. Unfortunately, during the course of the struggle, legislators in the past have failed to approve the Freedom of Information Bill—leaving it shelved along with our unfulfilled hopes and dreams for a government that is truly open and honest to the people.
Now, with the intention of intensifying our campaign to a higher level, various groups from different sectors have taken the initiative to draft and file their own proposed measure, the People’s Freedom of Information Act.
Along with different sectors, we, the youth, have been active in this campaign by showing how the enactment of the People’s FOI Act is essential to us as present stakeholders and future leaders of this country. Because of this, we formed the FOI Youth Initiative (FYI).
The FYI is a national network of nearly 200 Filipino youth and student organizations that call for transparency, accountability, and participation in government through the immediate passage of the People's FOI Act. One of our endeavors is the FOI YOUTH CONGRESS, a gathering of various youth and student organizations from all over the Philippines that are in solidarity with our campaign. With the theme Asserting the Youth's Role in Shaping the Nation through the People's Freedom of Information, this national assembly seeks to:
- promote Freedom of Information as a youth issue;
- empower young leaders from schools and communities with knowledge and skills in exercising their right to information held by the government; and
- enable young citizens’ participation in seeking transparency and accountability from different public institutions.
The FOI YOUTH CONGRESS was held last July 4 to 6, 2014 in the University of the Philippines - Diliman. It was hosted and organized by the UPD University Student Council (UPD USC), the UPD College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council (CSSPSC), and the UP Economics Towards Consciousness (UP ETC). Read the FOI Youth Congress Report, which includes our Financial Statement:
