Via FoI, 98% of media just

Helped along by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to promote transparency and accountability, 98 percent of news media in the Philippines are objective, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said.

Andanar added during the launch of the Press Freedom caravan in Bangkok, Thailand last Wednesday the PCOO would continue to “work more to give (members of media) a better environment so that they would continue to perform their duties.”

The Duterte administration is committed to promoting government transparency and accountability by providing the public credible, accurate and timely data, he said.

He told journalists, including Filipinos based in Bangkok, that the government’s response to the call for transparency was the Freedom of Information (FoI) or Executive Order (EO) 2 signed in 2016.

Andanar said the public, especially journalists, has the right to request information about government transactions and operations under the Executive branch.

He added the PCOO has been going around the country to improve its policies, engagement and solutions “so we can protect the welfare of our mediamen.”

“It is not a perfect society but, should I say, press freedom in the Philippines is still the best in the entire ASEAN,” he said.

Andanar added they would also bring the FoI caravan to Hong Kong, Singapore and, hopefully, in Europe to inform more people about the government’s FoI bid.

While going around and informing people about the FoI program of the government looks easy, the challenge is how to involve all government agencies, including local government units (LGU), to become part of it, PCOO Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan said at the same event.

While EO 2 only covers agencies under the Executive branch, other agencies have decided to support the program. These include the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit, as well as several LGU, such as Ilocos Norte and South Cotabato.

“We’re tackling the challenge by talking with LGU to pass their ordinances,” Ablan said.

The goal to include all government agencies under the FoI program, while a law has yet been enacted, is also aimed at addressing people’s thinking that the failure of one agency is the failure of the whole government.

He said most of the information being requested is “local information that national government agencies do not have.”

“That’s why we’re tackling the challenge by going to each and every government agency, convincing them (of) the merits of the FoI. And that’s why FoI is going local,” Ablan said.

“That’s our challenge. We want to address that. Hopefully, before the term of President Duterte ends, we’d be able to cover each government office,” he added.

Under the FoI EO, any request for information should be answered within 15 working days, but agencies are given 10 days more if the needed data is difficult to find.