Government Transparency Definition

Transparency

There is no single definition of transparency, but there is an agreement that it pertains to the public’s right to know and access information. Transparency is often viewed as the “openness of decisions and actions.” More specifically, it refers to the “free flow of information about decisions or actions” by a government office or its officials. Broadly, transparency is about internal information (including its scope, correctness, and timeliness) made available and accessible to the public. Also, it provides insights how to deal with issues when they are not provided with the information they are supposed to have access to. Many agree that transparency is an obligation of the government as it serves the public.

Transparency

Though these two go hand-in-hand, they are not the same. Simply stated, transparency is an element of accountability. Knowing and having access to what public officials do is transparency. However, the mere knowledge of such information does not automatically hold them accountable. Nevertheless, it promotes good governance, serves as an aid to expose corruption, and creates an impact on public policy, which may ultimately hold public officials accountable. Transparency, therefore, is a step that precedes accountability, as the latter requires more action than just by mere knowing.

Transparency, in general, is a goal of governments with either LGUs or federal states. In both settings, specific measures are established to ensure that this is achieved. Laws are even enacted by legislative bodies to meet, if not safeguard, this aim. Whether it is a local government or a federal state, the objective is the same – to provide the public an unhindered access to what the government is doing. They differ, however, as to which body implements these transparency measures and they could only either be the national government (as in the case of LGUs) or the individual federal

Access to information by the public is a constitutionally-mandated right. Article II, Section 24 of the Philippine Constitution states that “the State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-building.” Further, Article II, Section 28 lays the framework to which “the State adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.”

Transparency measures, such as the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), the Transparency Seal in government-owned websites, the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), and Code of Ethics and Ethical Standards (RA 6713), are in place, but they do not fully achieve what transparency aims to achieve. Despite that the Philippines recognizes transparency as a government duty and a constitutionally-mandated right, its implementation, enforcement, and monitoring is limited and flawed. Also, the national government remains to be the prime mover, while the LGUs are left out of the picture. Information dissemination in the local government level is narrow and limited, an irony to