Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda
On the adoption of the Open Data Charter
[Released on October 19, 2015]
As a firm advocate of transparency and open governance, the Philippine government is seeking to adopt the Open Data Charter, a set of principles fostering increased implementation of international open data standards. The Charter is an initiative of the Open Data Working Group under the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multilateral organization committed to transparency and citizen empowerment. The Philippines is a founding member of the OGP.
The Open Data Philippines Task Force—comprised of the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO)—will be responsible for the implementation of the Charter. Open Data Philippines is an initiative that aims to institutionalize good governance by making government data available to the public. Launched in January 2014, the portal allows users to find specific information from a rich and continuously growing collection of public datasets.
Specifically, the Charter’s implementation will be coursed through the country’s 3rd OGP National Action Plan. The government’s open data program is among our continuing commitments to the OGP. Open data was voted for retention in the Plan after two rounds of national, multi-sectoral consultations with members of the international development sector, civil society, business groups, media, academe, and local government.
More details can be found in the Open Data Philippines Action Plan 2014-2016, which outlines key result areas and measurable indicators. Two policies issued by the Open Data Philippines Task Force (JMC 2014 and JMC 2015-01) also provide practical implementation guidelines for open data practice in government.
The principles and ideas articulated in the Open Data Charter will be cited in the next Joint Memorandum Circular policy issuance. These will serve as further implementation guideposts not only for national government, but also for constitutional offices enjoying fiscal autonomy, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations. A revised Open Data Philippines Action Plan will also be crafted to reflect the Charter’s principles.
The Open Data Charter adoption ceremony is part of the next OGP Global Summit, which will take place fromOctober 27-29 in Mexico. The Philippine delegation will be headed by DBM Undersecretary Richard Moya, and the adoption will take place during the closing plenary session on October 29.
