2 June 2026 – Following decades of steady advocacy, the Makati Business Club (MBC) welcomed the historic passage of House Bill 9397, or the Right to Information (RTI) Act, on Third Reading in the House of Representatives. 

We extend our congratulations to the House Committee on Public Information Chairperson Rep. Lordan Suan, the House Committee on Public Information staff, our civil society partners at the Right to Know, Right Now! (R2KRN) Coalition, together with the House champions who recognized the necessity of this piece of legislation.

MBC’s engagement with the FOI agenda reflects a long-standing commitment to governance reform. Since formally supporting the initiative in 2009, our approach has evolved alongside the political landscape, yet our core position remains firm: transparency is a necessary piece of economic infrastructure and a quantifiable driver of investment. 

With the measure already approved on Third Reading at the Senate level, the final outcome is within reach. We look forward to the swift completion of the House process and the subsequent resolution of the bill in the Bicameral Conference Committee so that it may be transmitted to the President for signing and passage into law.

MBC remains ready to collaborate with the government and civil society to see the Right to Information Act signed into law. For detailed inquiries, please contact Danii Nepomuceno, Sustainability & Governance Officer, at danii.nepomuceno@mbc.com.ph.

ERRATUM: This article was edited after it was published on June 2 at 4:00 PM. The changes applied are corrections on the dates (from May 26 to June 2) and on the information about readings (from Second Reading to Third Reading). The corrected version was published on June 3 at 11:30 AM.