PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called on Congress and the Supreme Court to give “unfettered public access to relevant information” after the Executive released an order early in the President’s term upholding freedom of information.
“I hope that both the legislative and judicial branches of government will join us in strengthening our democratic institutions by instituting measures that would allow unfettered public access to relevant information about their affairs,” Duterte said in his message Monday.
“It is by ensuring accountability in public service through an informed citizenry that we can truly realize the constitutional tenet that, indeed, sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”
Duterte had earlier signed Executive Order 2 putting into operation Freedom of Information and institutionalizing the state’s policy of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service.
The order directed agencies to respond to citizen’s concerns within 15 to 30 days. All government agencies were also ordered to prepare their respective Peoples’ FOI Manuals.
“Within the first month of this administration, we took immediate action to address the urgent need to preserve and defend our people’s constitutional right to information on matters of public concern,” Duterte said.
“We have made great strides in providing access to relevant records, research data, documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions and decisions in the executive branch.”
Despite the administration’s efforts, most government agencies under the Executive still have low compliance with the creation and validation of the Freedom of Information manuals a year after EO 2’s full implementation.
A total of 181 of 189 national government agencies or 95.77 percent of the 22 departments and 157 government agencies have already submitted their FOI manuals.
Only 69 out of the 141 government-owned and -controlled corporations, or 48.94 percent, have so far complied, while only 23 out of 113 State Universities and Colleges or 20.35 percent have submitted their FOI manuals.
Outside of the Executive branch, only the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, the Province of Ilocos Norte and City of Laoag have so far complied. A total of 28 out of 383 or 7.27 percent of the Local Water Districts have submitted their own FOI manuals.