President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has only been in office for 25 days but he finally gave us something we’ve been waiting for years: the executive order on Freedom of Information (FOI).
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made the announcement during Sunday morning’s press conference in Davao City, saying that Duterte made the “record-breaking” approval on Saturday, 7pm.
“Only 25 days as President, this is a record-breaking speed of a cornerstone, or milestone, executive order being signed,” Andanar said.
And we agree! Thank you, Digong!
The full document is not yet available as of posting, but an excerpt of the executive order (EO) reads: “Every Filipino shall have access to information, official records, public records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for public document.”
Under the FOI Executive Order, Filipinos now have free (yes, free of charge!) access to information (except those protected by certain provisions in the 1987 Constitution) from any government office including state universities and colleges, government-owned companies and corporations, and even offices under the executive branch.
If a government employee or staff fails or refuses to comply to the EO, he/she may be subjected to disciplinary action. Take that!
You can access information by submitting a written request with the following documentation/requirements:
– a proof of identity of the requesting party
– a description of the information needed
– purpose of the request
Do take note that these offices have the right to collect a “reasonable fee” in order to reproduce (photocopy, print, etc.) the requested documents.
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