Palace to unveil FOI manual today

MALACAÑANG yesterday announced that it will be launching the electronic Freedom of Information (FOI) portal today, where the public can access documents of transactions and operations of about 15 participating government agencies.

Kristian Ablan, communications assistant secretary, told reporters that the launch of e-FOI facility will coincide with the turnover of the FOI manuals of all government agencies mandated to make their documents accessible to all Filipino citizens.

Ablan said that the requesting parties could ask for any government transactions and operations through online ap- plication on the website www.foi.gov.ph, instead of going to government agencies they want to scrutinize.

“We’re unveiling and launching the electronic FOI or e-FOI, which is an online facility wherein citizens are able to lodge their applications online instead of going to [specific agency of interest],” Ablan said.

“They can actually lodge online and file a request and then likewise evaluated and approved or denied by a decision maker,” he said.

Ablan, however, said the e-FOI platform will initially be available for only 15 departments and attached agencies.

The 15 agencies to pilot the data sys- tem of e-FOI are as follows:

1. Presidential Communications Office 2. Department of Information and Communications Technology 3. Department of Budget and Management 4. Department of Finance 5. Department of Justice

6. Department of Transportation 7. Department of Health 8. Philippine Statistics Authority 9. National Archives of the Philippines 10. Philippine National Police 11. PhilHeath

12. Office of the Government Corporate Council 13. Presidential Commission on Good Government 14. Office of the Solicitor General 15. Public Attorney’s Office.