12 December 2016 —The Philippine delegation headed by Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno attended a series of meetings for the 4th Open Governance Partnership (OGP) Summit in Paris, France from December 07 to 09.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Senator Grace Poe, Deputy Cabinet Secretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, other Philippine government officials, and civil society representatives were part of the Philippine delegation.
The Opening Plenary of the OPG Summit was led by French President François Hollande on December 07, 2017.
The OGP, of which the Philippines is a founding member, is a multilateral initiative launched in 2011 that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. Since 2011, OGP now counts 70 member countries, as well as hundreds of civil society organizations.
Secretary Diokno also attended the OECD Roundtable for Ministers on Open Government at the OECD Headquarters in Paris on December 08.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Senator Grace Poe, and Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro were part of the Philippine delegation during the Roundtable.
The Roundtable for Ministers is the culminating event of the three-day OECD Global Forum on Public Governance. The theme this year is “Open Government: the Global Context and the Way Forward”.
During the Roundtable, several Ministers and heads of delegation shared their countries’ initiatives in advancing open government as a paradigm for effective democratic governance and inclusive growth.
Secretary Diokno, during his intervention, mentioned Executive Order No. 2 signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in his first month of office operationalizing in the Executive Branch the people's Constitutional right to information. Secretary Diokno likewise recognized the presence of Senator Grace Poe, sponsor of the Freedom of Information bill in the Senate and staunch supporter of Open Government.
Secretary Diokno and Secretary Andanar also met with a number of representatives of the Filipino community at the Philippine Embassy on December 08. Senator Poe, who came from an OGP session for parliamentarians earlier, also greeted the representatives from the Filipino community.
The OGP Summit held its closing session at the historic Hotel de Ville (city hall) of Paris on December 09. END