End of Commitment Report – Enhancing Transparency through Information and Cybercrime Education

Name of Evaluator

Krystianne Paul Andree de Pedro

Email

[email protected]

Member Name

South Cotabato, Philippines

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title

Action plan – South Cotabato, Philippines, 2022 – 2025

CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action...

Enhancing TransparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More through Information and Cybercrime EducationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ...

Title

Enhancing Transparency through Information and Cybercrime Education

Action

The Open Information Commitment under the First OGP Action Plan 2018-2020 was realized with the passage of the Provincial Ordinance on Freedom of Information (FOI) last March 20, 2020, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Hilario De Pedro VI. This marked South Cotabato as the 28th Local Government Unit in the country to localize the implementation of the FOI.With its approval, the Provincial Government of South Cotabato is aligned with the vision of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to empower local communities to have access to government information, records, and documents in LGUs.In order to inform the general public on such measures, massive information education and communication or IEC must be conducted targeting civil society organizations (CSOs) through the organized People’s Council per component LGUs of South Cotabato per district.The dissemination of FOI Ordinance coupled with RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 “ensure that personal information in information and communications systems in the government and in the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More are secured and protected.”Additionally, in order to prevent any untoward incidents, RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 should also be included in the IEC, particularly the proper usage of electronic devices when airing out complaints regarding encounters with the frontline service providers of the provincial department offices.

Problem

Majority of the general public has limited knowledge on the available services, records or vital information the provincial government offers at what particular office and on how these can be accessed.

1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?

complete

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The implementation was conducted on March 11-13, 2025. Hence, it is considered completed at the time of writing.

1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).

Since the commitment was partially conducted online, internet connectivity problems were observed, several participants would be disconnected from the virtual session. Participants even had difficulty joining via Facebook Live citing the same problem.

1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?

most of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The desired outcomes stated in the Commitment Form were substantially met. Only the in-depth discussion on Data Privacy Act was not implemented, although the said law was sparingly covered during the presentation on the Local FOI Ordinance. On another note, allocating more time for the participants to raise their concerns would have been beneficial for both parties, thus increasing the quality of the discussion.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Open Information Presentations

2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

This commitment and its milestones can be said to have disclosed more information in the form of the salient provisions of the concerned legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r.... It improved the quality of the existing information (new or existing) by disseminating it to the public using layman’s terms. Moreover, it informed more people of the existing channels to disclose or request information, thereby improving accessibility to information.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Open Information Presentations

2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The commitment, especially the milestone on FOI, was able to create new opportunities to seek feedback from more citizens by informing civil society organizations of their rights and responsibilities in holding government employees and officials more accountable.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Open Information Presentations2

2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

Although new channels were not created, it informed the participants opportunities to hold officials answerable to their actions during the discussion on the Local FOI Ordinance.

Provide evidence for your answer:

Open Information Presentations

2.1.4 Other Results

No

2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

It can be said that more constituents are now aware of the available services, records, or vital information that the Provincial Government and other government agencies offer.

3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.

Reiterating the previously stated recommendation in terms of the duration of the implementation activity, the quality of the sessions would significantly improve if more time will be allotted for an open forum where participants can better process the information given to them. Additionally, doing away with virtual sessions and shifting all activities to in-person setups would make it more conducive for participants. Lastly, scaling the activity in terms of number of participants and its composition may be considered to address the problem identified.