FoI in all gov’t branches necessary — PCOO
Public access of information to all branches of government is a must.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian Ablan emphasized this Friday as he reiterated the executive branch’s call on Congress to pass a measure that would allow Filipinos to get access to public documents in the legislative and the judiciary.
“We need to have FoI in all of government,” Ablan, executive director of the FOI-Project Management Office, said during the launch of the “Duterte Legacy” campaign at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. “(To) all our legislators, finally pass the FoI (Freedom of Information) bill and make it into law to include them, the judiciary, the local government units, as well as the constitutional commissions.”
At present, the public can also access official documents and transactions in all state departments and offices under the executive branch.
On 23 July 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte inked Executive Order (EO) 2 on FOI that allows all Filipinos to obtain documents and records from public offices, in an effort to promote transparency in the government under his watch.
Under EO 2, a Filipino citizen can request any information about government transactions and operations by presenting proof of education to the concerned state office or lodging queries online through the official website www.foi.gov.ph.
An FoI request can be made before all government offices under the executive branch, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and state universities and colleges.