Freedom of Information: Our Battle for Democracy

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 2, s. 2016, allowing the creation of the Freedom of Information, allowing transparency for every Filipino.

“Government offices under the Executive Branch, including Government-Owned and/ or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are all required to disclose information, official records, public records, and documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions – as well as government research data used as basis for policy development (Frequently Asked Questions – Freedom of Information).”

Freedom of Information became the bridge of information between the people and the government – a tool that ordinary citizens could use to break down the chains of secrecy. Every Filipino canlearn where taxes are being spent.

Requested from PCOO: “Hello! I would like to have a copy of “The Duterte Administration 2017 Year-End Report (63 pages) detailing the President’s key accomplishments for 2017. Thank you!” (Reynaldo, 2018)

Or you know, perhaps just an inquiry about the weather. The clouds are rather confusing today.

Requested from PAGASA: “So what will be the weather forecast for the next 24 hours of our lives? GD Day Everyone!” (Pagunuran, 2019)

Two years later, we fight a new battle and we will emerge victoriously.

Perhaps, it can be argued that we had long seen this coming. With the emergence of social media, evil (like at the beginning of Creation) had slithered its way through cyberspace. Suddenly, ordinary citizens are being bombarded with news that lead to nothing, words filled with malice, and information masked as irrelevant. Truth became subjective, experts became unimportant, scientific researches became useless, and everyone became a citizen of their own worldly creation. As lies became the truth, information lost its power.

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