Information Access: On Paper but Not in Practice

CMFR file photo

CHEERS TO the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) for reporting the failure of some government agencies to respond to its requests for information on the conduct of the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

PCIJ reported that 40 days since it and the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) sent access-to-information requests separately to the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), the three agencies still have not responded “definitively and satisfactorily.”

In its Oct. 7 article “FOI request on drug war data: PNP, DILG, DOJ won’t open up”, PCIJ said that they only received notices that the request was received and forwarded to the various offices for action. According to law, government agencies should act on requests within 15 working days.

Past the fifteen-day period, PCIJ received only “a paltry Powerpoint presentation” of the number of casualties of the drug war. There was no response to the follow-up letters of either PCIJ or FLAG which asked for more information.

PCIJ cited President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order (EO) on the freedom of information (FOI) as basis of their data requests. PCIJ asked for the following information: the names and identities of the persons killed in relation to the ‘war on drugs’ and the surrounding circumstances of their death; written guidelines on the police’s role and conduct of the anti-drug campaign; the rules of engagement of the PNP; documents on the persons who surrendered and subsequent actions taken by the authorities in these cases.

The report said that “In less than two months, PCIJ alone has sent six letters and made at least 26 calls and six visits to the DOJ, DILG, and PNP.” PCIJ also summarized in a narrative timeline the status of its requests, including and the names and responses of the persons they talked to in the three agencies.

PCIJ also noted that Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, chief of the PNP, had submitted copies of police spot reports on drug-related killings to the Senate, but soon after recalled the documents because President Duterte had asked to read and review the documents himself. This was also reported previously by GMA News Online and Rappler.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II denied receiving requests on drug war data, a statement that Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella echoed in response to a question from the media. In a separate article published on Oct. 8, PCIJ uploaded scanned images of the receiving copies of their letters to the DOJ.

By leading in the effort to obtain information through the FOI EO, the press sets a good example to the public, encouraging ordinary citizens to exercise their right to access records themselves and to assess government’s response to issues involving human rights, social services, and other matters of public interest.