The 10 bureaucrats you meet when there is no FOI #10
The Research Unit, ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group,07/30/2016 03:39 AM
But there have been patches of blue in an overcast sky.
In a span of almost a year, out of the approximately 40 national and local government agencies that the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group dealt with, seven have stood out in upholding the people’s right to know: the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communications, Office of the Civil Defense-ARMM, Public-Private Partnership Center, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Bureau of Local Government Finance of the Department of Finance.
These agencies did not only provide updated and detailed data promptly, but these were also in digital format that could easily be analyzed. Best of all, they did not impose any fees for providing the service.
Unfortunately, these agencies remain the minority. In eight out of every ten requests for government data and information, the supposedly straightforward exercise has turned out to be a test of patience and perseverance.
Now that we have an EO on FOI, will we see significant improvement in government’s disclosure of information to citizens?