POLITICS: Freedom of Information -Duterte signs EO
In a move that was welcomed by a majority of the right-thinking people in the country, the President of the Philippines signed into law an Executive Order that permitted the common man access to all information regarding the functioning of the government and related matters.
This Executive Order was called the Freedom of Information (FOI) Order. The issue of the order was widely welcomed by the media and other intellectual circles.
The Cebu journalists were pleased that the Right to Information had been granted to each and every citizen of the Philippines so that everyone could gain access to the transactions that the government departments were indulging in; this way there was likely to be a lot of transparency in what the bureaucracy was doing and this would automatically mean that corruption would not have much chance of mushrooming.
In Cebu, the President of the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ), Elias Baquero was happy that the President was trying to hit at the roots of corruption by ushering in laws that would not provide much opportunity to the corrupt elements to indulge in their nefarious activities under the garb of official secrecy.
This progressive move will empower the media or other activists, voluntary and NGOs to approach the government officials about the activity that was of interest to them. Moreover, the high officials like Governors, Mayors, department Heads and Regional Directors will not be able to conceal any document or information that somebody was seeking for scrutiny and research, he stated.
All Reporters, Photographers, correspondents and Journalists on different beats in the area come under the umbrella organization called CFBJ.
However, the Cebu Citizens Press Council (CCPC) was a bit guarded and expressed the hope that the officials will adhere to the instructions that the Executive Order lays down.
The Executive Director of the CCPC, Lawyer Pachico Seares also issued a statement of support and lauded President Duterte’s intentions in bring transparency and public information to the public domain. He also expressed optimism that the EO would pave the way for unhindered access to public documents and records.
CCPC had been insisting that the right to reject a request for a public document needed to be regulated and controlled through clear-cut norms, directions and limitations of various officials in this regard.
He was also wary of final drafts of the orders that would give final shape to the right to information; the guidelines are likely to be finalized soon and issued in greater detail.
The CCPC also welcomed the EO as a fulfillment of a poll promise that President Duterte had made during his election tours; he expected the Congress to pass the remarkable bill.
There will be no charge for obtaining the documents but the documents can be denied if they fall under certain categories of security and secrecy.
Umrao Singh umraoz.wordpress.com
Written for: Lars-Magnus Carlsson www.thephilippinepride.com
