Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Wednesday urged public servants to exert effort in promoting transparency, good governance, and integrity as these are noteworthy legacies that will benefit the Filipino public.
The PCOO held the 4th annual Freedom of Information (FOI) Awards, recognizing significant strides of its stakeholders in upholding the public’s right to information.
Andanar opened the recognition event, assuring participants of the agency’s commitment to fulfill President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s promise of providing Filipinos access to vital information.
“Through FOI–Project Management Office (FOI-PMO), the PCOO, as the lead agency in the implementation of the FOI Program, has been tirelessly doing its job to keep people informed of the plans, targets, and actions that our President has laid out for the nation,” he said.
He commended FOI stakeholders who supported the government’s pursuit of transparency and accountability.
“We recognize the important role of efficient and broad information dissemination, which the PCOO has delivered to the public through projects, capacity building activities, social media engagements, as well as through agency-produced TV and radio programs,” he said.
He said accomplishments for this year would have not been possible without our partners and FOI implementers in the executive branch.
“I sincerely express my gratitude to all FOI champions, decision makers, receiving officers, civil society organizations, and government partners who have been the pillars of our efforts in public service delivery, especially during this time of crisis,” he said.
Recognizing the challenges and risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Andanar stressed that information should not be a right that has to be demanded by the public, instead Filipinos should be provided with timely and relevant information.
With this, the PCOO chief also reiterated calls for lawmakers to step up and pass the FOI bill currently pending in the Congress, saying the policy is a legacy beneficial to society.
“The institutionalization of the FOI Program is crucial, especially as we near the home stretch of this administration. I am looking forward to an encompassing FOI mechanism that shall be implemented across all branches of government and down to the local government units,” he said. “I strongly believe that initiatives involving transparency, good governance, and integrity shall shape the future of our country. We, as public servants, must be bold and strive tenfold, so that we may leave noteworthy legacies that will benefit the present and future generations.”
The major categories for the FOI awards are: top departments; government agencies; government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCC); state universities and colleges (SUCs); and Local Water Districts (LWDs).
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was awarded as the department champion, with runners up Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) maintained its champion status for government agencies since 2019, while The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) came in as first and second runners up, respectively.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) was recognized as the champion for the GOCC, while the Freeport Area of Bataan and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) landed as the first runner-up and second runner-up, respectively.
The Davao City Water District landed as the champion, followed by Tagum Water District as first runner up, and Zamboanga City Water District as the second runner up.
FOI champions for the SUC category were the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of the Philippines System, and Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.