Philippines Design and Implementation Report 2017-2019
- Action Plan: Philippines 2017-2019 Action Plan (Updated)
- Dates Under Review: 2017-2019
- Report Publication Year: 2021
The Philippines’ fourth 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... modestly increased citizens’ access to information, particularly in regard to the budget process, extractive industriesApplying open government values of transparency, participation, and accountability to extractive industries can decrease corruption, safeguard community interests and needs, and support environmental ..., and local government spending. Despite substantial completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin..., open government gains were modest. Going forward, the Philippines’ can achieve stronger reforms by raising commitments’ level of ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... and ensuring legislative support.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2011 Action plan under review: Fourth Report type: Design and Implementation Number of commitments: (Commitments #2 and #4 have 2 subcomponents that the IRM assesses independently here). Action plan development Is there a Multistakeholder forum: Yes Level of public influence: Involve Acted contrary to OGP process: No Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 13 (100%) Transformative commitments 1 (8%) Potentially starred: 0 Action plan implementation Starred commitments: 0 Completed commitments: 1 Commitments with Major DIOG*: 2 Commitments with Outstanding DIOG*: 0 Level of public influence: Involve Acted contrary to OGP process: No *DIOG: Did it Open Government |
The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. 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 ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Philippines joined OGP in 2011. Since then, Philippines has implemented four action plans. This report evaluates the design and implementation of Philippines’ fourth action plan.
General overview of action plan
The Philippines’ fourth action plan saw high levels of completion but moderate open government advancements. This aligns with the fact that 8 of the 13 commitments were of minor ambition. While PH-OGP facilitated a broad consultation process, the final action plan predominantly reflects government priorities. Regardless, civil society remained engaged from 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... design through implementation.
Some notable governance reforms were implemented, particularly in regard to access to information and civic dialogue. Government agencies established eFOI portals to facilitate more efficient responses to citizen requests (commitment 5). Additionally, the government’s creation of an Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities portal increased citizen access to information on local infrastructure projects (Commitment 1).
A starred commitment must meet several criteria:
- The commitment’s design was Verifiable, Relevant to OGP values and had a Transformative potential impact, as assessed at the design stage of the action plan.
- The commitment’s implementation was assessed by the IRM as Substantial or
On the basis of these criteria, Philippines’ action plan has 0 starred commitments.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| Commitment description | Status at the end of the implementation cycle |
| Commitment 4A: Engage and empower citizenry through an effective government feedback mechanism | During the implementation period, the president continued to promote Hotline 8888 and encourage agency compliance. The government also published reports on citizen complaints and the government’s response. These activities marginally contributed to the hotline’s aim to enable citizens to voice complaints about red-tape regulations and corruption in public service deliveryTo ensure that citizens of all groups are better supported by the government, OGP participating governments are working to improve the quality of and access to public services. Commitments in this are.... |
| Commitment 7: Increase public integrity and more effectively manage public resources through budget reforms | From 2017 to 2019, the government continued its positive trajectory toward greater budget 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, including publishing a midyear budget review. However, the Budget Reform Bill was not passed. While CSOs participated in consultations for the implementing rules and regulations, it is not clear how their presence influenced the IRR’s content. Consequently, activities under this commitment were evaluated to have marginally contributed to open budget reforms. |
| Commitment 8: Improved transparency and increased accountability in the extractive industries | Commitment implementation resulted in the substantial release of information about the extractives industry in the Philippines and supported CSO assessments of this information. However, EITI was not institutionalized into law as planned. Additionally, there is no evidence of greater inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... of Indigenous Peoples in extractives governance. |
Five Key IRM Recommendations
The IRM provided the following recommendations to stakeholders in the Philippines during the prepublication review phase of the design section of this report. They are recorded here for public record. Please see the IRM’s 2019–2021 Design Report for the most recent IRM recommendations.
| 1. Design commitments to clearly articulate a theory of change. |
| 2. Increase the ambition of commitments, particularly by enhancing public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More elements in recurring commitments and by exploring new areas. |
| 3. Strengthen the protection of civic space by establishing independent investigation mechanisms, withdrawing restrictive 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..., and building trust among civil society. |
| 4. Lobby for greater legislative support by raising awareness and advocating open government principles among members of Congress. |
| 5. Strengthen the monitoring of commitments to facilitate effective implementation. |
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