Councilor pushes media board, FOI ordinance

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – A member of the Sanggunian Panlungsod (SP) here is eyeing the formation of a local media board and implementation of freedom of information ordinance.

According to City Councilor Cesar Yap, mass media committee chair, his proposal aims to solicit the active participation of the press in local governance.

The FOI ordinance is one way to enhance transparency in the current administration.

The proposal is based on Executive Order No. 02 on the Freedom of Information (FOI) Program signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.

He said that the Department of Interior and Local Government has urged local governments to pass FOI ordinances.

Yap’s draft ordinance is entitled “Operationalizing Freedom of Information in the City of Roxas and to Provide Guidelines Therefore.”

Provisions of the ordinance include issuing documents to requests within 10 days and development of a portal for transparency.

According to Yap, the FOI ordinance “will inform, reform, and transform the mindset of the people of the City”.

He clarified that the issue of privacy and national security is not covered by freedom of information.