Makati City—The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Department of Foreign Affairs, National Housing Authority (NHA), Malacanang Records Office (MRO), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), Housing and Land Use Bureau (HLURB), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were among the agencies recognized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) for having a 99% outstanding performance rate on the electronic freedom of information portal (eFOI).
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar presented the eFOI awards and lauded the commitment of government agencies, non-government organizations, and their personnel for promoting freedom of information and fighting against misinformation.
“Proliferation of false news corrupts state-people relations, and delays if not obliterates development, while dissemination of accurate information empowers the people, connects them to the government through the rebuilding of trust, which, in turn, inspires progress,” said Andanar in his speech.
PCOO issued FOI Memorandum Circular 02 s. 2019 where it specified three major criteria- timeliness, efficiency, and quality- in rating the performance of each agency on the eFOI portal.
The FOI Awards has been held since 2017 following the signing of E.O. No. 02 by President Rodrigo Duterte a year before.
Furthermore, this year marked the first that the outstanding FOI officers were also recognized for their exceptional contribution to the FOI program’s progress and development.