Yamsuan presses passage of right-to-information, anti-fake news bills to build informed citizenry, promote transparency

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan is pushing the enactment of twin legislative measures that aim to uphold the people’s right to information and combat fake news, to help build an informed citizenry while promoting transparency and accountability in all levels of government.

Yamsuan said enacting into law the proposed Right-To-Information (RTI) law and the Anti-False Information (AFI) Act in this Congress would ensure that these two measures work hand in hand to achieve these goals.

“These two measures working in synergy will serve as vital safeguards that will eliminate the information gaps which allow false information to flourish. Kapag ang mga kababayan natin ay may tamang impormasyon at protektado laban sa pagkalat ng fake news, makakapagpasya sila ng tama at makakalahok sa pagbuo ng mga polisiya at programa ng gobyerno na tumutugon sa kanilang mga pangangailangan,” said Yamsuan, a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Public Information.

(If our countrymen are armed with correct information and protected against the spread of fake news, they can make the right decisions and participate in developing policies and programs of the government that respond to their needs.)

Yamsuan said that if Congress does the historic act of passing these two measures, this would, in the long run, restore the people’s trust in public institutions, and subsequently, secure citizen cooperation in implementing difficult, but necessary, government actions.

He issued the call after the House of Representatives passed on second reading the RTI (House Bill [HB] 9397) and AFI (HB 9465) bills on Tuesday (May 26, 2026). Yamsuan chaired the Technical Working Group (TWG) that drafted the RTI bill and is one of the principal authors of the AFI measure.

Both bills are priority measures of the Marcos administration. The Senate has already approved on third and final reading its version of the RTI bill while its counterpart measures of the AFI bill are still pending at the committee level.

Yamsuan said that aside from giving citizens access to official records held by government bodies and certain private entities using public funds, the RTI bill also establishes an independent RTI Commission and a digital portal to streamline the request process and resolve disputes.

The bill also establishes strict legal exceptions to protect national security, trade secrets and individual privacy; provides protection for whistleblowers; adheres to international standards; and penalizes officials who unlawfully obstruct the release of information.

In seeking funding approval for the creation of the RTI Commission from the House Committee on Appropriations, Yamsuan stressed the importance of an oversight body to ensure that the law is “not merely symbolic but operational.”

“In periods of heightened uncertainty and constrained resources, transparency is not a luxury. It is a stabilizing necessity,” Yamsuan said.

“This bill, as they say, is more than three decades in the making. Through this measure, we want to reassure the Filipino people that our commitment to transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption is not dependent on administrations, but is deeply embedded in our very culture of public service,” he added.

With an RTI law in place, Yamsuan said false information purveyors would find it difficult to weaponize lies and deception, especially since fact-checking would be made easier.

He said penalizing the malicious publication or dissemination of false information, while protecting the right to free speech and expression under the AFI bill, will institutionalize accountability especially for social media platforms where fake news often thrive.

“While ensuring a balanced approach in combating fake news, we also have to be ready to face and correct the spread of misinformation and disinformation that threaten our government institutions. The proliferation of fake news can be used as a weapon to manipulate public opinion and the democratic process,” Yamsuan said.