MANILA, Philippines – Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo called on lawmakers yesterday to fast-track approval of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.
Pabillo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa), said an FOI law could have prevented large-scale corruption particularly during the previous administration.
Pabillo’s call came after the discovery of almost P1 billion in unliquidated travel expenses of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her entourage from 2009 to 2010. Arroyo is now a Pampanga congresswoman.
Pabillo said the discovery of the unliquidated cash advances should convince President Aquino to support the immediate passage of the FOI bill.
“This would be our problem if there is no transparency. If there is no transparency, this would have been kept hidden (from the public),”he said.
The Senate finance committee said the unliquidated funds included P594 million spent on foreign and local travels in 2009 alone based on a report from the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a committee hearing, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa said that Malacañang found an additional P367.3 million in cash advances for travel released in year 2010 which remained unliquidated as of Aug. 31, this year. –Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star)
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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