PCOO to Forge Partnership with Capitol on FOI

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar is gunning to explore a joint communications project with the Cebu Provincial Government over the enforcement of President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order on freedom of information (FOI).

Andanar, who was in Cebu last week to grace the ASEAN-PCOO Road Show, said he wanted to seek collaborative projects with the Capitol on radio and television programs of Malacañang that will educate the public on the benefits of FOI.

“Magtrabaho ta, we’ll come up with activities, and my office, we’ll make sure that we will coordinate when it comes to the implementation of the FOI,” Andanar said.

As keynote speaker of the ASEAN-PCOO Road show, Andanar talked on the challenges and accomplishments of the FOI order, a landmark move of President Duterte that requires all government offices under the executive branch to disclose details of its transactions.

The ASEAN-PCOO road show focused on the Philippine’s chairmanship of the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) this year, Freedom of Information and Presidential Task Force on Media Security.

Andanar explained that the people should be educated on the mechanism that gives easy access to government information.

The order, signed by Pres. Duterte on July 23, 2016 in Davao City, provides that “every Filipino shall have access to information, official records, public records and documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, and decisions as well as government research data used as basis for public development.”

A month after Duterte’s FOI order came out, Cebu Governor Hilario P. Davide III signed EO No. 15 on Aug. 30 which provides for a system in obtaining information in the executive department. The order also acknowledges people’s constitutional right to information on public matters.

Andanar, former news anchor and radio commentator, lauded Davide for issuing the order in response to the President’s directive, making Davide the first governor in the country to come up with a local version following Duterte’s decree.

“Okay kaayo ang gibuhat ni Governor Davide. This means that we can have partnership in promoting the FOI. Mabuhay ka Gov Jun,” Andanar said.

As PCOO secretary, Andanar supervises the operations of government news and information agencies, television and radio stations including PNA, PIA, PTV-4, IBC13 and PBS-Radyo ng Bayan. (Kelvin Cañizares)