Information Users: The Modern-day Revolutionists

I have always been fascinated by the power and beauty of data. It reveals patterns and generates insights; it influences decisions and drives actions. It can be too overwhelming or insufficient; it can solve problems or introduce more. I have worked with so many data sets in my life that if there is one thing that I learned drilling through its different forms, it would be that I can trust the data more than its creators. This is the same principle that I keep when dealing with government transactions. I would wonder how my data is being collected and stored, or is it used to improve policies and initiate programs, or is it collected for no specific purpose? 

When President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Executive Order (EO) No. 02 in 2016, also known as the Freedom of Information (FOI) Program, I had not fully grasped its significance at the time, until its evident role in the pandemic that started last year when the Department of Health (DOH) underscores its commitment to promote transparency and accountability by launching the COVID-19 Tracker, which features data on COVID-19 cases collected nationwide, along with the information on resource utilization and availability of hospital beds, isolation rooms, intensive care unit (ICU) beds and mechanical ventilators. The access to these data has not only equipped the local authorities to prepare for the worst, but it has likewise provided the public with the relevant and reliable information that would materially improve our collective response to COVID-19, specifically on compliance to prescribed health protocols and community quarantine restrictions. Unsurprisingly, the breakdown of COVID-19 cases was on the “Top 5 Most Requested Information about COVID-19”, as revealed in the FOI’s annual report of 2020.

As I exercise my fundamental human right of access to information, I also perceive it as an opportunity for the public agencies to deliver better services, improve policies, and strengthen the government performance. For instance, when I requested for the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who had been confirmed with the COVID-19 in the Davao Region, this would prompt the local authorities to collect, analyze and report this information to the public. The civic participation through the filing of information access requests would substantially help public offices in identifying the areas for improvement, which will in turn establish greater transparency and deeper accountability. Meanwhile, the access to the information held by the government would also permit the public to examine and analyze these data, legitimizing the information being published. I remember applying Benford’s Law on the Case Information from DOH COVID Data Drop link and I found few anomalies in the daily cases reported in the National Capital Region and Davao Region, which were later verified to be mostly due to the delayed reporting. When you have a large audience going through your data, the agencies are expected to ensure that the data integrity is maintained from creation to dissemination. With the FOI program, people are now armed with the knowledge and information they can use to push significant difference in addressing irregularities in the government.

Although the five-year implementation of the FOI program has demonstrated important milestones, that include accumulating 12,912 electronic FOI portal users as of 2020, I hope to see it one day when more people have maximized this tool to its highest potential, revolutionizing the way citizens participate in the pursuit of greater transparency, accountability and good governance. The good legacy that we can pass on to the next generation depends on how well we take the ethical responsibility for having the freedom of information.