The enactment of the Freedom of Information bill is close to becoming real. And when I think of everything we had to go through to get to this point of the advocacy, I feel like I’m running the last leg of a marathon when I hear my muscles screaming that they are so ready to give up while being overwhelmed with the excitement of crossing the finish line.
Going to the Senate four times a week for almost a month was not a joke. That meant more than an hour on the congested road to Pasay City from our office in Katipunan. We had to always explain our purpose to the security guards and wait in the freezing Senate gallery for hours until the renaming of the long list of schools and hospitals is finished and the FOI bill is tackled if ever it will be.
The advocacy started in the 12th Congress so ATIN has certainly been through a lot in the legislative advocacy.
I remember the first time that the bill was scheduled to be sponsored in the Senate plenary and we decided to wear white shirts to show unity. But it was moved to the following day and the next day after and the next, until all of us decided to wear just any shirt because we already ran out of white shirts to wear.
There was also one time when we, almost 20 of us, paraded in the Senate lobby to run after the Senators to talk to them about the bill. When we failed to catch a Senator in the plenary or in the lobby, we would wait for him/ her at his/her office to make sure that he/she didn’t escape us.
Senate is part of the last leg of the advocacy. There are other stories on advancing the bill into law; from the day the network was formed, to when the bill was drafted, to those days of going to Congress to attend Technical Working Group meetings and plenary hearings. Consider the numerous ATIN meetings that focused mainly on coming up with strategies plus those position papers, letters of support, meetings, etc. just to push the bill forward. Not to mention the funds involved in this very risky effort.
Any organization that plans to engage in a legislative advocacy should seriously think about it because it requires full and deep commitment through and through. A great amount of patience and hope is necessary to survive the turmoil of dealing with the kind of legislature we have whose priority is either shaped by selfish ambitions or motivated by political inclination. It is also important for one to have the capacity to find joy in simple achievements or laugh about just anything. Otherwise, lobbying will snatch your sanity and you’ll find yourself miserable or cynical in the end.
The uncertainty and being not in control of most of the things that will make your effort successful can drive one crazy. The challenge is how to strategize well without compromising your principles. It is to be able to have a grip of what you believe in and not succumb to the temptation of playing the dirty game of politics and pleasing the legislators with whom much of your success lies. I have seen ATIN and its other partners kept its integrity in doing its work.
Though I count it a huge privilege that I am a part of this advocacy, I really would have wanted the bill passed long ago so that the nation did not have to go through the excruciating experience of this government’s glorious policy of secrecy.
The cruelty of this government and the unwavering passion of everyone involved in this effort made me love lobbying no matter how difficult and frustrating it has been. I embrace it with arms wide open and I am committed to give my all to carry it to the finish line.
The Access to Information Network and all its partners will run the race until the bill sees the light of day. There is no turning back, the gun start has long started and the difficult trails are behind us. We will go the extra mile if necessary. I can see the finish line from afar and we’re getting near it. We’re crossing it so soon.
The 14th Congress is the finish line. I see nothing beyond.
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