THE administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order institutionalizing Open Government Partnership (OGP), enjoining the people and their organizations to effectively participate at all levels of social, political, and economic decision-making.
Executive Order (EO) No. 31, dated 20 June 2023 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, stated that as a member country of the OGP, the Philippines has endorsed a high-level Open Government Declaration, committing itself to co-creating a National Action Plan (NAP) with civil society organizations (CSOs).
This NAP will be anchored in the principles of transparency, accountability, citizen participation, technology and innovation. The EO further stated that the NAP will be subjected to the Independent Reporting Mechanism of the OGP.
In September 2011, the Philippines became one of the eight founding members of the OGP, a broad international partnership that includes members from the national and local governments, and CSOs.
“Over a decade of engagement in the OGP and employing significant innovations in government processes, the Philippines is recognized as a trailblazer in promoting transparency, strengthening social accountability, and empowering citizens,” the EO stated.
“The Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) has evolved into a vital platform for introducing governance reforms through harnessing technology, creating synergy with CSOs, and mainstreaming these innovations in various levels of government,” the order added.
It said the PH-OGP, through its Steering Committee, will ensure that open government values are embedded in government policies and programs.
The Steering Committee will be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as chairperson while the Executive Secretary, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary, four government sector representatives identified by the Chairperson as non-permanent members, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) National President, and ten CSO representatives as members.
“The PH-OGP Steering Committee may invite representatives from the Legislative and Judicial branches of government to effect synchronization and complementation of open government initiatives and programs,” the EO stated.
The committee is expected to set the policy direction of the PH-OGP in the development and formulation of the PH-OGP NAP, integrate open and inclusive government principles in national and local governance processes, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the PH-OGP, publish an annual monitoring and evaluation report on the accomplishments of the PH-OGP NAP to be presented in a forum, develop a communication and advocacy plan focusing on the PH-OGP processes and goals, and such other related powers and functions to be defined in the Terms of Reference of the PH-OGP Steering Committee.
