MANILA - Speaker Sonny Belmonte on Tuesday denied he is the biggest hindrance to the passage of the Freedom of Information bill. "Why would I be the biggest hindrance of the FOI bill when it is moving through the Congress? We have 3 more years coming up and it is again in the agenda of the 16th Congress and I think we can...I myself think it has a good prospect of passing," he told ANC's Headstart. Belmonte admitted that he was not enthusiastic about the bill because the previous version was so open ended. "I just want the FOI to be not so open ended that almost anything can be done by almost anybody against anybody who happens to be working in government," he said. He also defended the appointment of Misamis Occidental Representative Jorge Almonte as head of the Public Information Committee that will handle deliberations on the FOI bil. He said Almonte has a good track record, having been chief executive of Oroquieta and his previous experience as city prosecutor for over 10 years. "I thought here with this guy at the helm there will be a deliberative handling of the matter and he is a guy without a prejudgment on it. He is probably the most prominent politician of his province and like everybody else, he is very sensitive to public opinion," he said. ANC Headstart, August 13, 2013