Touting the administration’s achievements such as the intensified campaign against drugs and the signing of the executive order on Freedom of Information, Andanar assured the public that the administration will do its best to carry out its mandate.
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Do take note that these offices have the right to collect a “reasonable fee” in order to reproduce (photocopy, print, etc.) the requested documents.
He, however, underlined that information deemed to “put our government in danger in terms of national security” would be exempt.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) secretary Martin Andanar announced the executive order description as “Operationalizing in the executive branch the people’s constitutional right to information and the state policies of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service and providing guidelines therefore” at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Sunday morning, July 24.
Under the law, all civil servants from the president down to the messenger are required to file their Salns annually mainly to determine whether they have enriched themselves while in office.
Poe also said Duterte has to list down the exceptions and penalties to be imposed against government officials who do not comply.
Barcenas noted the FOI EO only binds the executive department and a law must be passed by Congress that will be binding to all three branches of government – executive, legislative and the judiciary.
“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-development”, the order reads.
“The person who requests for information shall write a letter to the authorized personnel that is duly assigned by the head of the agency”.
Questions on the legality of the information requested will be forwarded to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
While allowing access to public records, the President has also upheld the protection of privacy of concerned individuals in the executive branch.
The DOJ and OSG shall come up with an inventory of exemptions which shall be submitted to the Office of the President within 30 days.
But access to information would be denied when the information falls under any of the exceptions provided for in the 1987 Constitution, Andanar said.
Bayan Muna Rep.Carlos Isagani Zarate said the EO is “very good and long awaited step in the quest for transparency and accountability in government”.
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A bill on the FOI failed to muster enough support in the 16th Congress. “We are open, everything is open”, Tan said.
