MANILA, Philippines — Incumbent and former legislators have underscored the importance of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law and information and communications technology (ICT) in good governance, particularly in the fight against corruption.

“Had the FOI act been passed into law some of the corruption scandals that have plagued the country for years would have been avoided. Or at least, the evidence to pinpoint the perpetrators and prosecute them would have been available,” said Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna Party-List Representative.

Speaking to participants of a symposium titled “Freedom to Know, Freedom to Interact: Participation Powered by ICT” held Friday, Colmenares said that having a right to information is useless if one has no access to it or is somehow prevented from getting the otherwise available information.

“You have a right to information but it must also be accessible to you,” Colmenares told the participants composed by members of the civil society, public sector, academe and members of the media.

“Due to the absence of an FOI and the state of impunity obtaining (information) in the country today, the perpetrators of major corruption scandals like NBN-ZTE deal, the fertilizer scam and the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal remain out of sight but out of prison,” he said

He said that based on a World Bank (WB) report in 2000, the Philippines has lost an astronomic P1.958 trillion to corruption between 1977 and 1999. “Corruption has become the scourge and cancer of society…the problem is systemic, so the response must also be systemic,” Colmenares said, holding out hope that the country can still eliminate corruption through a collective struggle for social and political change.

Also speaking at the event, Professor Allan Bora, senior researcher at the Center of Language Technologies (CeLT), De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila, said that ICT can be transformed into an effective tool that would allow the people’s voices to be heard and be counted in the government’s policy-making duties.

“People participation and good governance must be powered by ICT,” Bora said. “ICT should be used as a tool to change the current set-up.”

For her part, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, former Akbayan Party-List representative, said the country is now at a crossroads over whether or not it would forge ahead to prove President Benigno S. Aquino III’s battle cry—“Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (No corruption means no poverty).”

“It is in this context that our struggle continues for FOI. Without information, the people cannot act,” said Baraquel, who was also a speaker at the event.

The symposium was hosted by the DLSU-College of Computer Studies in cooperation with Ideacorp, an independent, non-profit organization in the Philippines devoted to research, training and advocacy on development issues, particularly on the use of ICT for development.

DLSU Chancellor Bro. Ricardo Laguda opened the event.