Bohol’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Ordinance was among the local government unit’s (LGU’s) best practices highlighted in the Visayas leg of the virtual FOI Conference for LGU on Friday, August 13, 2021.
Speaking on behalf of the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) led by Gov. Arthur Yap and Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos, was First District Cong. Edgar Chatto who discussed Bohol’s FOI efforts and achievements to LGU participants in the said forum organized by the Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
A first of its kind in the Visayas, the Bohol FOI Ordinance of 2018 was passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) and signed by then governor
(and now Cong. Chatto) on July 18, 2018.
“Information is power. Ultimately, freedom of information ensures good governance, enhances transparency and motivates people’s participation and empowerment,” Chatto said.
“More than giving access to information to Boholanos, our goal really was to increase meaningful participation and engagement of all sectors of our community, including civil society and commerce, in various levels of governance such as policy development, budget process, program implementation, monitoring and evaluation,” he added.
Chatto also emphasized the importance of sustainability, which he says, is the benchmark of best practice.
He highlighted that under the leadership of Yap and Relampagos, the PGBh established a Unified System, (US), known as PGBh-US, an in-house system not only to accelerate processing of transactions but also keep the provincial government’s internal affairs transparent, personnel efficient, information reliable and updated.
This innovation earned the PGBh second place honors in the “Best LGU Internal Processes Award” during the 2020 Digital Governance Awards of the DILG, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP).
Bohol’s FOI example was featured alongside Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental represented in the forum by Vice Mayor Justin Dominic Gatuslao, and Benguet Province represented by FOI focal person Francis Louis Likigan, Jr.
The virtual conference sought to encourage LGUs to pass their own FOI ordinances.
Lawyer and The Bohol Tribune columnist Julius Gregory Delgado represented the Provincial Legal Office, as designated FOI focal person, in the open forum part of the virtual teleconference organized by the PCOO with the DILG.
According to PCOO Usec. Kristian Ablan, around 55 LGUs in the country have passed their respective FOI ordinance, where 8 LGUs are from the Visayas, including Bohol.
Senator Christopher Lawrence Go and DILG Sec. Eduardo Año delivered messages of support while Infanta Vice Mayor Lord Arnel Ruanto and Central Visayas Network of Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) Executive Director Lenbi Laborte gave their testimonial and closing remark, respectively.