PCIJ reports on the access to information under the Aquino administration

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) released 1 May 2011 an audit of how government agencies dealt with requests for information under the Benigno Aquino III administration.

PCIJ asked 27 government agencies–including the Offices of the President and Vice President, the Office of the Ombudsman, and both houses of the 15th Congress–for copies of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and  Net worth (SALNs), personal data sheets, and other pertinent documents related to each agency’s mandated duty.

“The audit yielded results that surprised and disappointed at the same time, such as the integrity agencies turning out to be more secretive about their SALNs, as well as some agencies more ready to share the SALNs of other officials they have in custody but not the SALNs of their own agency bosses. Too, only 20 requests were granted, making for a poor 57-percent approval rate. Several of these approvals also took place well beyond the 10 working days deadline in law for officials and agencies to act on requests for SALNs, and the 15 working days deadline in law for them to act on requests for other documents,” PCIJ wrote.

Read the full story here.

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