There’s been a lot of talk about how the current Philippine government will tap technology, internet, and social media for feedback and governance. As of today the most that has been done is to use social networks like Twitter and Facebook as information dissemination tools. While this is laudable, this effort only scratches the surface of how technology can radically change the country for the better. Everything boils down though to the passage of the highly controversial Freedom of Information Bill which has been stalled several times in the House of Representatives.
Here are the salient features of House Bill 3732 (aka Freedom of Information):
- An expansive scope in terms of government agencies as well as information covered
- Express legislative determination that all information in the possession or control of any government agency is of public interest
- A clear, uniform and speedy procedure for access to information, including quick and certain period of compliance, and the manner of making, and responding to, requests. (Sec. 9. Procedure of Access)
- A proscription against excessive costs of access to information
- Presumption – There shall be a legal presumption in favor of access to information. Accordingly, the government shall have the burden of proof of showing by clear and convincing evidence that the information requested should not be disclosed.
- Mandatory disclosure: all government agencies shall post all the steps, negotiations and key government positions pertaining to definite propositions of the government, as well as the contents of the contract, agreement or treaty in the following transactions involving public interest.
Social Media and the Internet will be one of the primary enablers of the Freedom of Information Bill. If this law is passed private individuals and cause groups can create watchdog websites and applications that will definitely minimize graft and corruption. We can monitor all the contracts being passed, how the budget is spent, who gets hired, how many employees, what kind of agreements are made, etc. On top of that the FOI Bill also forces government agencies to make information delivery expeditious. We don’t have to wait for weeks, months, or years before we get the necessary information from a particular agency.
Note though that the information we can use isn’t just all about budget and money. Imagine if MMDA creates a central real time database repository for traffic updates. Private companies and developers can create numerous mobile and web applications which will make life easier for motorists. A live view of traffic cameras or a mobile push traffic information application which will alert you of major accidents and traffic jams. Right now MMDA is trying it’s best by coming up with updates on Twitter (and that’s cool and all) but instead of controlling the content they should just open it up to everyone.
How about something more charitable? I’m pretty sure that there’s a government agency that records all the various volunteer activities available for private individuals. Why not get that information and make a web or mobile application so that anyone who wants to help can easily know where they can go and what they can do/give without any hassle?
What if the Department on Education opened a database which showed parents accurate information on how students are doing in all the various schools and universities in the country? That would definitely help a lot in the decision making process on what school you should have your kid enrolled. This database can also store other important information like average classroom size, teacher-student ratio, and what courses a school is particularly good at in generating excellent students.
However for this to work the national government has to mandate that all government agencies should hire Chief Technical Officers that are well versed in Web 2.0 and application development. This is to make sure that the databases created for the various information can be compatible with other platforms so that developers can just pull the data from the DB. The last thing we want is to have the FOI bill passed and have incompetent CTO’s manning government agencies.
The Aquino Administration is calling on private-public partnerships to get this country to move forward. A huge step forward would be to pass the Freedom of Information Bill. It will create so many opportunities for private companies and individuals to create services and products that will hold officials accountable and expand the reach and services of government agencies (at no cost to them).
Can you guys think of more creative ways to use government information in social media, mobile, or web applications? Let us know by sharing a comment below and I’ll update this entry with a suggestion database.
Image Credits: Subrogation and Recovery Law Blog
Inspirations: Tech Crunch Gov 2.0 Article
Good one bro!
Thanks!
One thing they could do is make a wiki for all the different goverment offices. It should include instructions on how to contact offices, addresses, how-tos, rules and regulations, etc. We would not have to go around following different links left and right everytime elections/floods/ some other major event comes up. And tasks like applying for a business or registering as a voter could be make far, far easier.
That’s something that’s actually easy to do. That should be one of the projects of the Philippine Information Agency or the Presidential Communications Group.
Hi Carlo.
In my observation, many national and local government units began their entry into the World Wide Web starting around the mid-term of this decade. Unfortunately, there is no Web 2.0 national plan; and in any absence of a plan, people create their own endeavors. What we have today are scattered executions of providing information and a little service on the web, many well intended but nonetheless “scattered.” What we lack is a Web 2.0 champion inside the Aquino III administration. What we have are pseudo-champions per government unit who may not be talking to each other because they have no mandate to do so.
Let’s forget the National Broadband scandal that rocked the former administration and jilted a good intention gone bad. Let’s move forward. Is P’Noy even interested in Web 2.0? Is it part of his campaign promise? If the answer to both questions is a “no,” how will Web 2.0 become a priority in today’s government agenda?
P’Noy’s economic priorities consists of (but not limited to) job creation, balance of trade, and foreign direct investments. I believe Web 2.0 falls under the purview of reducing or eliminating graft and corruption down to the LGU level by providing full disclosure of information to the public. If Web 2.0′s goals are refocused on this, maybe there’s a chance for it to climb up to P’Noy’s top agenda. It presents Web 2.0 as a solution to the problem of how to provide easy disclosure rather than rallying for automating government services through Web 2.0 as a first priority. The latter can be a secondary phase or plan.
P’Noy’s repeated request is for the private sector to work hand-in-hand with government. The fastest route to put Web 2.0 on the table of Aquino III’s government is (therefore) to create a private sector-led Web 2.0 consortium tasked to create the “National Web 2.0 Plan” in consultation with the general public. When completed, it should go through the normal channels of scrutiny of the government process for national projects, including Congressional nod where budgetary appropriations are considered and operational execution is approved.
My 2-centavos for your perusal.
Raffy
That sounds like a great idea Raffy. If ever there was an initiative like this in the private sector I would definitely join it and help out. Maybe we can discuss this further when we see each other in events (since we regularly bump into each other naman haha).