Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar announced today that Open Data Philippines will reintroduce data.gov.ph as the central database for all publicly available information with the implementation of the Executive Order on Freedom of Information (FOI), underscoring the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
The database aims to create an active exchange of information between the government and the public.
“While the FOI Program enhances the public’s right to government information, Open Data Philippines provides the central portal where requested and proactively disclosed data and information may be accessed,” Andanar said.
The FOI and Open Data initiatives will work harmoniously and simultaneously to manage and oversee government data collection and publication. The FOI program will also introduce Electronic-FOI (eFOI), a facility that will handle requests for data and information and will ensure that each request is properly received, reviewed, and answered. eFOI is an online platform where citizens can lodge an FOI request, get updates on their requests, and receive their requested information.
The eFOI platform will initially be available for a few government agencies for its beta phase, including the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). PCO, in partnership with DICT and the World Bank, conducted a series of workshops for national government agencies to introduce the eFOI.
Consultations with civil society organizations were also conducted. “It is hoped that when the eFOI platform is launched on November 25, citizens will be able to conveniently request for government data and information online,” Andanar said.
The eFOI platform aims to be available for the rest of the government offices covered by the FOI Executive Order by 2017 to 2018.
Office for Policy and Legislative Affairs
Presidential Communications Office
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