The Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) strongly calls for the strengthening of transparency mechanisms of the government through its government partners with the full support of its Civil Society Organization (CSO) partners.

We also reiterate our call for accountability. The recent events revealing obscene corruption remind us that when governance is opaque, accountability disappears; when participation is absent, solutions fail the communities they are meant to protect; and when evidence is ignored, resources are wasted while risks remain.

Let us not allow our nation to be shattered by corruption. Instead, let us take this as a wake up call.

As partners for transparency and accountability, we urge immediate action on the following using not just a whole-of-government but a whole-of-nation approach in our pursuit of a truly open government:

• The conduct of an independent investigation, complemented by strengthened third-party monitoring by CSOs, the academe, media, and professional associations, and fact-checking by local government units (LGUs), into the anomalies surrounding flood control programs and other infrastructure projects;
• Advancing reforms to make contracting and procurement fully open and accessible, including the development of the Open Contracting Data Portal and full disclosure of beneficial ownership as mandated by the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA);
• The institutionalization of participatory audits and digital tools such as Project DIME, which we recognize has successfully been launched by the Department of Budget and Management and partner agencies;
• The passage of a Right to Information (RTI) law;
• The safeguarding of civic space, ensuring that citizens and civil society organizations can actively participate in governance without fear or restriction, consistent with the OGP Global Strategy (2023-2028); and
• Increased support for local innovation through the OGP Local Program of the DILG and expanding localization efforts such as OGPinas! and Local Action Plans, so that openness reaches provinces, cities, and municipalities.

We likewise welcome the issuance of Executive Order No. 94: Creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which we see as a critical step toward restoring trust, ensuring accountability, and instituting systemic reforms in the infrastructure sector. This initiative complements our call for openness by reinforcing independent oversight and providing citizens with greater assurance that public resources serve public interest.

Openness is not just a principle. It is a promise that every decision, every peso, every policy serves the people, not private interests. Openness means government decisions are shaped with the people, not imposed on them. It means budgets are grounded in integrity and evidence, not political convenience. It means citizens are not spectators but partners in governance.

Let us strengthen the systems that make these principles real: greater transparency through open data and accessible information, meaningful participation where citizens co-create solutions with governments as equals, and stronger accountability through institutionalized oversight and monitoring mechanisms.

Together, let us build a government that is transparent, accountable, and participatory—an open government that truly works for the people.

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