South Cotabato Design Report 2018-2020 – For Public Comment

In 2020, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... published the Design Report for South Cotabato’s first 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... (2018-2020). The report covers the development of the action plan and the design of its commitments.

In South Cotabato, the IRM researcher Jose Solomon Cortez’ findings are summarized below:

“South Cotabato’s first action plan focuses on thematic areas of importance to the province: open information, open monitoring and evaluation, open contractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More, open mining, and open 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.... These commitments reflect the province’s rich legacy of transparent, accountable, and participatory governance. While the action plan was developed with collaboration between the government, civil society, and 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, there remains an opportunity to expand communication and outreach beyond the provincial capital and the multistakeholder forum.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English below. The two-week public comment period closed 5 October 2020.