MANILA - Senator Grace Poe on Monday said the Freedom of Information Bill continues to gain support from her fellow senators. Speaking to ANC, Poe said the Senate is already in the period of amendments to certain provisions in the bill. She admitted that getting the law passed has not been easy, noting that Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile recently engaged her in debates. "It is like an initiation because it has not been very easy. I've had to go through a period of an hour and a half of debates with Senator Enrile. For me, it's a learning experience. I am thankful for the experience because you get to see how they think and you are able to defend your provisions better. You are prepared. Of course to have somebody - a top lawyer, Harvard-educated who's been in the Cabinet for so many years, debate you, for me, that's a tremendous opportunity," she said. "It was good. I feel I was able to hold my own also," she added. On the other hand, she said she was worried when she had to face "the constitutionalist of the Senate" Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. "But then she said: 'I feel very maternal towards you.' I said: 'Thank you, Mam.' That was good because she is also a proponent of the FOI," she said. Poe said Santiago was concerned about protecting presidential communications privilege or the right and power of the president to be able to withhold certain information. She said information that could affect government monetary policies as well as investigation on ongoing criminal activity will not be covered by the FOI bill. She cited as example media coverage of the August 2010 hostage-taking at Luneta Park wherein a hostage-taker was able to see ongoing police operations on TV. "There are certain things in government that we must be able to protect to preserve our well-being," she said. The senator said she is counting on public support, particularly from Filipino netizens, to pressure lawmakers to pass the bill into law. She said that while Filipinos can rely on the sincerity and good intentions of President Aquino, the FOI Bill is still the country's best weapon for people to take part in policy-making. ANC, February 24, 2014