LEAVE IT to Filipinos to still be upbeat and optimistic even after being ignored for two and a half decades.
It was a morning of rousing speeches, exhortations, and songs as more than 150 civil society, media, and other advocates’ groups trooped to the Balay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines for the launch of the online signature campaign for the passage of the Freedom of Information Act.
Spearheaded by the Right to Know Right Now! Coalition and coursed through the online platform www.change.org, the campaign aims to gather as many signatures as possible to push President Benigno S. Aquino III and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte to finally pass the FOI bill that has been wallowing in Congress. The advocates hope to submit a consolidated list of signatures to the President a week before he delivers his State of the Nation Address in July.
The following video montage of the launch was shot and edited by PCIJ’s Cong B. Corrales. Those interested in signing up for the online FOI signature campaign may visit the website’s direct link here.