THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has directed local government units (LGUs) to adopt a system that will ensure transparency consistent with President Duterte’s executive order on freedom of information (FOI).
With the FOI fully working at the national level, it is now the turn of LGUs to adopt a system of giving the public access to information at the local level, the DILG said in a statement.
The DILG and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) recently issued a joint memorandum circular encouraging LGUs to operationalize the people’s right to information and state policies of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service by enacting an ordinance or issuing a local chief executive’s order on FOI.
“Let us be a part of the movement to eliminate corruption at the local level. Freedom to access information in the LGUs is freedom from corruption,” DILG OIC-Secretary Eduardo M. Año said.
Año explained that with the disclosure of information concerning the undertakings of the local government, a potent check and balance system can be established, hence, empowering the people and promoting participatory governance.
“If a local government has nothing to hide, opening up local information for public consumption would not be an issue,” he added.