Phl-OGP Action Plan 2013-2015 Assessment Report - Draft
Phl-OGP Action Plan 2013-2015 Assessment Report - Draft
Phl-OGP Action Plan 2013-2015 Assessment Report - Draft
Self-Assessment Report
National Action Plan 2013-2015
Year 1 Report
March 2015
Table of Contents
List of Acronyms
I.
II.
III.
IRM Recommendations . 8
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
List of Tables
Table 1. Activities conducted in crafting the Governance Cluster Plan and Action Plan for OGP
Table 2. Details of the Good Governance Dialogues
Table 3. IRM Key Recommendations and Actions Taken by Government
Table 4. Summary of Completion of Commitments
List of Figures
Figure 1. Timeline in crafting the Action Plan for OGP
List of Acronyms
AESC
ANSA-EAP
AO
APCPI
ARMM
ARTA
BIR
BLGS
BOC
BPLS
BTr
BUB
CAMANAVA
CAR
CCB
CHRIS
COA
CPA
CSC
CSIS
CSO
DAP
DBM
DepEd
DFAT
DILG
DOF
DOH
DOJ
DOST
DSWD
DTI
EITI
EO
FDP
FOI
GIFMIS
GOCC
GPL
GPPB
IAAGCC
IATF
ICT
ICTO
IFC
IMIS
IRM
ISSP
IT
JSCC
LGU
LPRAT
M&E
MDG
MITHI
NAPC
NBI
NCC
NCR
NEDA
NFA
NGA
NHA
NJIS
OCIO
OES
OGP
OMB
OPS
PBB
PCDSPO
PCF
PFM
PFMAT
PFMIP
PhilGEPS
PIB
PICC
PLLO
PMO
PMS
PQA
QC
RATE
RATS
RBPMS
RCS
RIPS
SALN
SC
SDEP
SGH
SGLG
SONA
TOR
TSA
TWG
UACS
I.
The Philippinesone of the founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011is currently
implementing its second Action Plan for 2013-2015. The second plan contains nine commitments that adhere to
the four core open government principles adopted by OGPtransparency, citizen participation, accountability,
and technology and innovation.
To promote transparency, the government committed to disclose key plan and budget documents at the national
and sub-national levels, develop a single portal where government data can be accessed in open formats,
promote fiscal transparency in the extractive industry, and support the passage of an access to information law.
For mainstreaming citizen participation, initiatives that engage civil society in sub-national planning and budgeting
and audit of key infrastructure programs were implemented. Commitments to promote public accountability
include support for the passage of a law that protects whistleblowers, as well as engagement of civil society in
public audit. As part of its commitment to utilize technology for transparent and efficient processes, the
government will enhance its existing electronic procurement system through the addition of e-bidding functions.
There are also commitments that encompass all the open government principles, particularly on improving policy
and processes for doing business in the country and enhancing the benchmarks for sub-national governments.
While these commitments are independently implemented by various government agencies, they collectively
address three Grand Challenges of OGP: 1) increasing public integrity, 2) more effectively managing public
resources, and 3) improving public service delivery.
Public integrity will be enhanced by mandating fiscal transparency in national and sub-national government plans
and budgets and in the extractive industries, supporting the passage of an access to information law, engaging
civil society in public audit, enhancing the government electronic procurement system, providing a single portal
for government data in open formats, and supporting the passage of an access to information law.
Public resources will be managed more effectively if public funds are audited efficiently and encouraging civil
society participation, if leakages in the procurement system are plugged and an efficient system that minimizes
human intervention is put in place, and grassroots organizations are involved in identifying local projects making
the plans and budget more responsive to local needs.
Finally, the government understands that good governance leads to good performance and results to better
delivery of public services. Therefore, initiatives that enhance the performance benchmark of local governments,
involve local civil society in identifying local poverty reduction projects responsive to their needs, access to
government data that will serve as tool for more meaningful citizens engagement, and improves the ease of doing
business will all lead to improved public service delivery.
II.
The crafting of the second Action Plan started in the 2nd quarter of 2013, right after the assessment of the 1st
Action Plan. Similar to the 1st Action Plan, the 2nd Action Plan for the OGP is a subset of the Good Governance
Cluster Action Plan.1 The Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Governance Cluster, composed of Senior Officials
of member agencies, decided on the priority framework for the Plan and initiatives that adhere to the framework
were sought. Various activities were further conducted in crafting the Governance Cluster Plan, including
consultations with government agencies and civil society partners. On-line consultation was also conducted by
setting up a temporary website where the public can access the draft Plan and provide their comments. The final
draft of the Plan was presented to the Cabinet Cluster in September 2013 for approval. Selected priority
commitments were highlighted in the Good Governance Summit conducted in January 2014. The details of the
activities conducted are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Activities conducted in crafting the Governance Cluster Plan and 2nd Action Plan for OGP
Activity
Date
Venue
2012 Governance Cluster Plan Assessment Workshop
March 14, 2013
DBM Office, Manila
Posting of Assessment Report in www.gov.ph
April 5, 2013
Phl-OGP Steering Committee Meeting
April 11, 2013
DBM Office, Manila
FGD on Local Governance
May 17, 2013
Oakwood Premiere JoyNostalg Center Manila
Governance Cluster Technical Working Group Meeting
June 18, 2013
DBM Office, Manila
Consultation with government agencies to identify targets
July to September
Presentation of draft priority outcomes to other stakeholders:
Working Group on Anti-Corruption of the NCC
Aug. 15, 2013
AIM Conference Center
Working Group on Decentralization of the Phil. Development
Apr. 5, 2013
Oakwood Premiere JoyForum
Nostalg Center Manila
Posting of draft Plan for on-line public consultation at
Aug. 29, 2013governancecluster.wordpress.com
Dec. 31, 2013
Consultation with CSOs on the draft Plan
Sept. 4, 2013
DBM Office, Manila
Sept. 24, 2013
Pinnacle Hotel, Davao
Engagement with NEDA Planning Committee to harmonize the
July to December
Governance Cluster Plan with the Chapter on Good Governance
in the Phil. Development Plan
Presentation of Plan to the Cabinet Cluster
Sept. 13, 2013
DBM Office, Manila
Conduct of the Good Governance Summit
Jan. 15-17, 2014
PICC, Manila
Submission of final Plan to the President
Mar. 17, 2014
Most of the consultations were conducted in NCR and only 1 sub-national consultation was conducted. A
consultation in the Visayas region was set in October 2013 but did not push through due to the earthquake in
Bohol.
The Cabinet Cluster on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption (Governance Cluster) was created in 2011 by virtue of
Executive Order No. 43. The Cluster is tasked to institutionalize open, transparent, accountable, and participatory
governance. The Cluster is composed of 7 government agencies and chaired by the President, with the DBM as Secretariat.
The Cluster identified key initiatives, embodied in the Governance Cluster Plan, that aim to curb corruption, improve the
delivery of public services especially to the poor, and enhance the business and economic environment. (URL:
www.gov.ph/governance)
Further, the governance priority framework was presented to the Philippine OGP Steering Committee2 for review
and approval, which will also serve as the guiding framework of the 2nd Action Plan to the OGP. The Steering
Committee also reviewed the commitments in the 1st plan and took into consideration the IRM report. In
September 2013, the Steering Committee met to finalize the commitments and targets for the 2nd Action Plan.
Nine commitments were identified and submitted to the OGP in November 2013. The timeline of the crafting
process is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Timeline in crafting the 2nd Action Plan for OGP
The Steering Committee is composed of representatives from the national government (DBM, DILG, DSWD), local
government (Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines), civil society (Budget Advocacy Group, Task Force Participatory
Local Governance, Right to Know Right Now Coalition), and business group (National Competitiveness Council, Integrity
Initiative).
Date
May 27, 2014
Sept. 2-3, 2014
Oct. 16-17, 2014
Oct. 23-24, 2014
Nov. 6-7, 2014
Nov. 13-14, 2014
Venue
DBM Multi-purpose Hall
Manila
Cebu City
Cagayan de Oro City
Davao City
Baguio City
Participating Regions
NCR
NCR, Regions 1, 2, and 3
Regions 6, 7, and 8
Regions 9, 10, and 13
Regions 11, 12, and ARMM
Regions 1, 2, and CAR
No. of participants
80
280
220
160
230
270
The Good Governance Dialogues also provided a venue to jumpstart the crafting of the 3rd Action Plan for the
OGP. Workshops were conducted to scan on already existing open government initiatives at the local level,
particularly those that are jointly implemented by LGUs and CSOs.
Further, status reports of each initiative/commitment were posted in the Governance Cluster website on a
quarterly basis. The reports are shown in a concise and simple poster format that can be downloaded by users.
Information and communication materials were also developed to aid in raising awareness on OGP and the
governance initiatives. These include a primer on Philippine OGP and brochure of the Governance Cluster. These
information materials were distributed to national government agencies, the DBM regional offices (together with
the Peoples Budget), CSO, and academe partners. The materials were also distributed in all fora and workshops
organized by the DBM.
III.
IRM Recommendations
The recommendations of the IRM in its assessment of the 1st Action Plan were greatly considered in the crafting of
the 2nd Action Plan. The key recommendations of the IRM and the actions taken by the Secretariat are shown in
Table 3.
No.
1
No.
IV.
The 2nd Action Plan contains nine commitments, of which six are continuing commitments from the 1st Action Plan
and three are new commitments. Of the nine commitments, three are already completed. The summary of
completion is found in Table 4.
No.
Commitment
Completion
Level
9
Implementing
Agencies
DBM
No.
Commitment
Program/ Initiative
Sustain transparency in
national government
plans and budgets
Transparency Seal
(National)
Full Disclosure Policy
(Sub-national)
Freedom of
Information Bill,
Whistleblowers
Protection Bill
PCDSPO, DOJ,
PLLO
DILG
Citizens
Participatory Audit
COA
Enhance performance
benchmarks for local
governance
DILG
Enhance the
government
procurement system
PhilGEPS
Modernization
DBM
Strengthen grassroots
participation in local
planning and budgeting
Bottom-Up
Budgeting Program
DILG, DBM,
DSWD, NAPC
Open Data
Philippines
PCDSPO, DBM,
OPS
Extractive Industries
Transparency
Initiative-Philippines
DOF
Gameplan for
Competitiveness
NCC
Performance Targets
1. 100% of national
government targets fully
complying with the
Transparency Seal
2.
1. Freedom of Information
and Whistleblowers
Protection Bills included in
the priority legislative
agenda of the Executive
Completion
Level
Substantial
Substantial
(for FOI bill)
Limited
(for
Whistleblowers
Protection bill)
1. 4 participatory audits
conducted and audit
reports published
1. Additional performance
benchmarks on
accountable, transparent,
and participatory
governance, and frontline
service performance
implemented
1. 100% registration of
national government
agencies, state
universities and colleges,
and LGUs in PhilGEPS
2. Additional functionalities
such as e-payment, ebidding, and uploading of
procurement plans
installed in PhilGEPS
1. 90% of total LGUs with
identified priority poverty
reduction projects
2. 70% of projects
completed
1. Open Data portal
launched
2. 300 data sets uploaded
Substantial
1. Policy to institutionalize
transparency in the
extractive industries
adopted
2. Extractive industries
transparency report
published
1. Improvement in the
Philippines Doing
Completed
Completed
Substantial
Substantial
Completed
Substantial
10
No.
Commitment
Program/ Initiative
Implementing
Agencies
Performance Targets
Completion
Level
Business ranking
Discussion of each commitment is found in the next section.
Name of responsible
person from implementing
agency
Title, Department
Email
Phone
Other
actors
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
Transparency Seal
- As of December 2014, compliance rate with the Transparency Seal is at 93%. The
11
Commitment #2: Support for the passage of legislation on access to information and protection of
whistleblowers
Lead implementing agency
Name of responsible
person from implementing
agency
Title, Department
Email
Phone
Other
Government
actors
Presidential Communications
Development and Strategic Planning
Office (access to information)
Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III
Undersecretary
mlquezon3@pcdspo.gov.ph
736-0719
Congress, Presidential Legislative Liaison
Office
Assistant Secretary
zmazis@doj.gov.ph
524-8930
Congress, Presidential Legislative Liaison
Office
12
CSOs, private
sector, working
groups,
multilaterals
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
The main intent is to include the two legislation in the priority legislation of the
Executive. Passage of the two bills will mandate the disclosure of government
information and ensure protection of whistleblowers.
Performance Target: Freedom of Information and Whistleblowers Protection Bills
included in the priority legislative agenda of the Executive
The commitment is for the two bills to be included in the priority legislation of the
Executive and passed at their respective Committees in both Chambers of Congress.
The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is crucial to institutionalize transparency since
it will mandate the disclosure of public documents, as well as the procedures for
accessing these documents. On the other hand, passage of the Whistleblowers
Protection bill will contribute in holding public servants accountable by encouraging
citizens to report corrupt practices.
Passage of the FOI bill will ensure that government efforts on transparency become
the norm and can make government more open as disclosure of public data will be
institutionalized. Further, passage of the Whistleblowers Protection bill will
incentivize reporting of corrupt practices and deter these practices among public
servants.
Not started
Limited
Substantial
Completed
(for Whistleblowers
Protection bill)
Both bills are included in the Priority Legislative Agenda of the 16th Congress.
The FOI bill was approved in the Senate (Upper House) in March 2014. At the House
of Representatives (Lower House), it was approved by the Committee on Public
Information last November 2014 and in the Committee on Appropriations last
February 2015. It is currently in plenary for deliberation. Both bills are included in
the priority legislation of the Executive for the 16th Congress.
End Date
Next Steps
Draft substitute bills of the Whistleblower Protection bill are fully supported by the
DOJ. Consensus versions were approved by the Committee on Justice but pending
with the Committee on Appropriations.
Cannot be determined
Additional Information
Commission on Audit
Dir. Gloria Jose
Phone
Other
actors
951-0912
Government
CSOs, private
sector, working
groups,
multilaterals
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
For Phase I, three pilot audits have been implemented. These are as follows:
1. DPWH CAMANAVA Flood Control Project
2. Marikina Health Center
3. QC Solid Waste Management Program
The audit reports can be accessed in the i-kwenta website. Prior to the conduct of
these audits, various capacity building activities on the audit process were
conducted for the CSOs.
End Date
Phase I ended in September 2014. The timeline for Phase II is from November 2014
up to May 2016.
Next Steps
Phase II of the CPA program intends to scale-up the implementation of CPA
nationwide. This will be done through the roll-out of participatory audit of farm-tomarket roads in all regions of the country and institutionalize this process. Pilot
audit is already being conducted in Palawan.
Additional Information
A crucial bottleneck in implementation is the source of funds for supporting activities or monitoring expenses of
CSOs. There is currently no legal basis that will justify the direct downloading of funds to CSOs. It is hoped that the
CPA will be included in the regular programs of COA that gets allocation in its annual budget.
Further, the CPA program is lodged at the Project Management Office (PMO) and will eventually be transferred to
the Special Services Sector of COA as part of the institutionalization process.
agency
Title, Department
Chief, Local Governance Performance Management Division
Email
lgpms.team@yahoo.com
Phone
928-9181
Other
Government
CSOs, private
actors
sector, working
groups,
multilaterals
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
End Date
Next Steps
The Seal of Good Local Governance was launched by the DILG in 2014, which
included other performance areas, as follows: 1) good financial housekeeping, 2)
disaster preparedness, 3) social protection for the basic sector, 4) business-friendly
environment and competitiveness, 5) environmental compliance, and 6) law and
order and public safety. As of September 2014, all LGUs have been assessed using
the new metrics of performance. Results of the assessment will be released in Q1
2015.
The SGLG will be assessed on an annual basis.
Additional Information
Recipients of the SGLG are eligible to the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF), a grant to fund local development
projects.
Name of responsible
person from implementing
agency
Title, Department
Email
Phone
Other
actors
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
End Date
Next Steps
Undersecretary
dilg.bub@gmail.com, dilg_bub@yahoo.com
925-0357
Department of Budget and Management, Department of Social Welfare and
Development, National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Economic and
Development Authority
CSOs, private
sector, working
groups,
multilaterals
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
In 2013, 99% of cities and municipalities have undertaken the bottom-up budget
process for the 2014 budget preparation. As of December 2014, 23% of projects had
been completed, while 25% are on-going.
All cities and municipalities have undertaken the bottom-up budget process for the
preparation of the 2015 budget.
Other activities undertaken are as follows:
Developed an M&E system for tracking implementation of projects; included in
17
the system is the development of a portal where project status and other
information can be viewed
On-going development of a communications strategy to expand reach of the
program to grassroots organizations
Further, this initiative was awarded one of the Gold Awards in the first Open
Government Awards, with the theme citizen engagement.
End Date
The bottom-up planning and budgeting process will be undertaken annually during
budget preparation.
Next Steps
The BUB process is currently being undertaken for the 2016 budget preparation.
Additional Information
Policies for direct download of funds to LGUs are currently being formulated.
Commitment #7: Provide more accessible government data in a single portal and open format
Lead implementing agency
Name of responsible
person from implementing
agency
Title, Department
Email
Phone
Other
actors
Secretary
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Accessible. Users of the website will not only be able to view the data, but also
share and download it in spreadsheet and other open formats. This will
encourage innovation by harnessing local Filipino talent and allowing people to
easily use the datasets in new, unexpected ways to help the public.
The website will also allow users to send in comments, suggestions, and stories on
their use of open data. This engagement with the users and healthy exchange of
ideas between the public and the government will help develop the platform even
further.
The initiative adheres to the following principles: transparency and access to public
sector information, data-driven governance, public engagement, and practical
innovation.
The intended policy result is mainstreamed disclosure of government data that is
understandable and useful to the public.
Not started
Limited
Substantial
Completed
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
The open data portal (data.gov.ph) was launched in January 2014. As of December
2014, 1,237 data sets were published. Information tools, such as 13 dashboards and
87 visualizations, were also created.
Other activities conducted are as follows:
Conducted three hackathons. A hackathon is an event where developers,
designers, subject experts and citizens collaborate to create usable mobile or
web applications to solve a particular problem. These hackathons are on budget
(#KabantayNgBayan), disaster preparedness (#Readysaster), and on
government procurement (#KabantayngBayan Procurement Hack).
Conducted Masterclass for selected government agencies
The portal is updated on a regular basis.
End Date
Next Steps
Additional Information
Under the Open Data Philippines brand are other transparency initiatives/portals such as the Foreign Aid
Transparency Hub (faith.gov.ph), Open Reconstruction, and Open Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process,
which intersects with other programs of government.
Main objective
Department of Finance
Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Habitan
Assistant Secretary
mhabitan@dof.gov.ph
523-5678
Department of Finance, Department of Energy, Department of Environment and
Natural Resources-MGB, and Department of the Interior and Local Government
Bantay Kita, Chamber of Mines, Petroleum Association of the Philippines
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Completion Level
extractive industries.
Performance Targets: 1) Policy to institutionalize transparency in the extractive
industries adopted, 2) Extractive industries transparency report published
The Philippines became part of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
(EITI), an international multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to establish a global
standard for transparency in the revenues collected by governments from extractive
industries such as mining, oil and gas. This is through the publication of a report
containing data from the mining industries and the government and analysis or data
reconciliation of an independent administrator.
The EITI is relevant in advancing transparency.
Not started
Limited
Substantial
Completed
Ambition
The EITI intends to improve transparency in terms of revenue collection from the
extractive industries (oil, mining, and gas) based on data from these industries and
government. As information from these industries and government become
available, these can serve as reference for future policies in regulating these
industries and providing clearer guidelines for transparency and accountability.
The 1st EITI Country Report was submitted to the EITI International Board in
December 2014 and presented to the media. Further, the Report can be
downloaded at the Philippines EITI website. Other activities conducted as part of
the preparation of the Report are as follows:
1. Various capacity building activities on the EITI standards for national and local
governments, industries, CSOs, and media
2. Scoping studies on barriers to EITI implementation, harmonization of policies,
identification of payments made by industries and collections made by
government, assessment of the capacity of regulatory agencies and tax
administration agencies
3. Development of reporting templates and generation of data from pilot sites
Further, Executive Order No. 147 was signed in November 2013 creating the
Philippine EITI. Preliminary discussions have also been made in Congress and Senate
in Q1 2014.
End Date
The 1st Country EITI Report was published in December 2014.
Next Steps
Public launching of the Report will be on Q1 2015 and validation of the Report will
be conducted in Q2 2015. An EITI portal will be created where contracts and maps
can be accessed. Roundtable Discussions on EITI Report findings will also be
organized with Congress and Senate.
Additional Information
A multi-stakeholder group composed of civil society, business, and government was formed to implement,
monitor and evaluate EITI implementation in the Philippines. The government is composed of representatives
from the Department of Finance, Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesMGB, and Department of the Interior and Local Government. The civil society is represented by Bantay Kita, while
the industries are represented by the Chamber of Mines, Petroleum Association of the Philippines, and an elected
representative from non-chamber members.
Name of responsible
person from implementing
agency
Title, Department
Email
Phone
Other
Government
CSOs, private
actors
sector, working
groups,
multilaterals
Main objective
Brief Description of
Commitment
Relevance
Ambition
Completion Level
The main objective is to improve business processes with the Doing Business Survey
result of the IFC as indicator. The target is to bring the Philippines from the bottomthird of the rankings to the top-third by 2016.
Performance Target: Improvement in the Philippines Doing Business ranking
The NCC is actively engaged in implementing the Gameplan for Competitiveness
aimed at improving the ease of doing business in the country. The Gameplan is
designed to bring the Philippines from the bottom-third of the rankings to the topthird by 2016. The Ease of Doing Business report comprises 10 indicators, as follows:
starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering
property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders,
enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency. Among the significant changes
pledged were the reduction of the current 36 days it takes to start a business by
more than half and the reduction in number of tax payments from 47 to 14. Further,
President Aquino signed Administrative Order No. 38 creating an inter-agency task
force to initiate, implement, and monitor ease of doing business reforms. The order
provides for the inclusion of these targets in the performance-based incentive
system of all agencies concerned. This will ensure that targets are formally adopted
and implemented.
This commitment is relevant in promoting transparency and efficiency in
government processes.
Aside from improved ranking in the Doing Business Survey, the more important
ambition in this commitment is institutionalizing efficiency in the business
processes.
Not started
Limited
Substantial
Completed
The Philippines ranking has improved significantly since 2013, jumping 43 notches.
Per business process, the improvements are as follows:
Starting a business
No. of steps reduced from 16 to 15
No. of days reduced from 36 to 35
Dealing with
No. of steps reduced from 29 to 25
construction permits No. of days reduced from 84 to 77
21
Getting electricity
End Date
Next Steps
Additional Information
V.
There were efforts made to improve the countrys performance on the OGP eligibility criteria. These efforts will
be discussed below.
Fiscal Transparency
Since 2012, the DBM has been publishing the Peoples Budget, a more understandable and concise version of the
budget. The DBM also maintains the Budget ng Bayan website (budgetngbayan.com) where information on the
budget process, previous years budgets, and budget reforms can be found.
Other fiscal transparency initiatives include the Transparency Seal for the national government and the Full
Disclosure Policy for LGUs (see details in Section IV).
Access to Information
Substantial progress on the passage of the FOI bill has been observed, particularly at the Lower House (House of
Representatives). The bill has been approved at the Committee on Appropriations and will now move to the
plenary deliberation. The Secretariat, together with civil society partners, continuously linked with legislators to
22
fast track the passage of the FOI bill. In fact, upon the invitation of the Phl-OGP Steering Committee, the
Chairperson of the Committee on Public Information (Rep. Jorge Almonte) was invited to participate in the OGP
Regional Conference in Bali, Indonesia in May 2014. Through this effort, the Chairperson became aware of access
to information laws and their implementation in other Asian countries.
Public Officials Asset Disclosure
One of the priority initiatives of the Governance Cluster is the enhancement of the Income and Asset Disclosure
System. This initiative is being implemented by the Office of the Ombudsman. The initiative intends to transform
the manual-based system into an IT-based electronic system. Currently, the manual system is being reviewed to
determine the appropriate electronic system. Details of this initiative are discussed in Section VI.
Citizen Engagement
Under the Bottom-Up Budgeting program, grassroots organizations are able to participate in the planning and
budgeting process through their direct identification of local projects that will be implemented in their LGUs.
From its pilot run of 609 municipalities in 2012, the program is now implemented in all cities and municipalities of
the country. The program also won a Gold Award in the Open Government Awards in 2014.
VI.
Updates as of December 2014 of other priority initiatives of the Governance Cluster are discussed in the next
section. These initiatives adhere to the priority themes of the Cluster on: transparency, citizens engagement,
public financial management, performance management and monitoring systems, frontline service for business,
justice, accountability of public servants, and smuggling and tax evasion prevention. Detailed quarterly reports of
each initiative can be accessed at the Governance Cluster website.
Transparency
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Citizens Engagement
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Finalized 2014 BPLS Field Monitoring and Evaluation Survey that covered
216 LGUs
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
Name of Initiative
Lead Implementing Agency
Brief Description
:
:
:
Activities Implemented
:
:
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VII.
The Philippines is truly reaping the gains of an open government. The government has learned that espousing
open government principles of transparency, citizens engagement, and accountability in governance processes
produce results: more responsive plans and budgets through locally identified poverty reduction projects, greater
trust in public institutions as evidenced by high trust ratings of government, increased local and international
investor confidence proven by unprecedented credit grade ratings of the country, robust economic growth, and
better performance that redounds to better service delivery.
The government has learned from its experience in the 1st Action Plan and exerted efforts to improve the 2nd
Action Plan crafting process and implementation. For one, the commitments were reduced to a manageable
number and ensured that these commitments are those with greater impact, wide reach, and directly adhere to
the OGP principles. With the reduced number of commitments, tracking of progress, public reporting, and
addressing challenges had become more effective. There was also a conscious effort to expand consultation and
increase the participation of the Phl-OGP Steering Committee. Information and communication efforts on OGP
have also significantly improved through the conduct of outreach activities.
Albeit these improvements, the government recognizes that much can still be enhanced. It is hoped that the 3rd
Action Plan co-created with non-government partners will address the shortcomings of the 2nd Action Plan. More
importantly, the 3rd Action Plan will deepen the commitments from this current plan with the intent of sustaining
and expanding these open government reforms. The co-created Plan will solidify the partnership of government,
civil society, and business groups to put forward reforms beyond the current administration. The 3rd Plan is also
crucial since it will traverse in the next administration. The Phl-OGP Steering Committee will play a major role in
ensuring that the reforms remain irreversible and continually demand the best performance and good
governance from those in power.
In the next fourteen months before the May 2016 elections, the government is focused in delivering results and
making sure that these results are known by the citizens. Various outreach activities on good governance and
consultations up to the grassroots level will be conducted to ensure that voices of the poor and the marginalized
are heard.
As a concluding remark, the Philippine government is proud of what it has been able to achieve since joining the
OGP. The Philippines is actually one of the trailblazers in open governance in the international arena, as
exemplified by its membership in the international OGP Steering Committee and being one of the Gold Awardees
in the recently concluded Open Government Awards with the theme citizens engagement. This would not have
been possible without the assistance of partner civil society organizations, academe, business groups, and
international development partners who are willing to work with national and local governments, bounded by the
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same principles of open governance. With this, the government is committed to the sustained and constantlyimproving implementation of OGP in the Philippines.
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