ONE campaign promise of President Rodrigo Duterte was to grant citizens the right to access information from government.
Duterte is about to fulfill that promise after he ordered the drafting of an executive order (EO) assuring the public of such freedom. The EO is expected to be signed before Monday. The order covers all offices under the executive branch. But it is not a legislated (FOI) that would cover the legislature and judiciary.
Journalists from three Southeast Asian countries gathered in Malaysia last week to discuss press freedom issues. Philippine journalists listed priority concerns needing action. First is the legislated FOI which advocates had pushed for in past administrations, followed by the creation by government of a super body to investigate journalist killings, and the matter of online harassment.
Other issues raised were on welfare and skills upgrading for journalists, training on business and management, and coordination among international press organizations.
The Strengthening Media and Society program in Kuala Lumpur was organized by the WAN-IFRA. It gave journalists from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia training on digital strategies and leadership, a chance at professional networking and exchanges on press freedom advocacy, as part of the Foreign Ministry of Denmark-funded two-year global initiative.
There are many other promises Duterte has been working on since he assumed office. Among them the drive to rid the country of illegal drugs and corruption.
His State of the Nation Address (Sona) scheduled on Monday is an opportunity to match his first courses of action with the priorities as seen by the public. A Pulse Asia report on a survey done last July 2 to 8 showed that people want Duterte to address economic issues, particularly inflation, employment, and pro-poor programs, even before the problems of criminality and peace talks with different armed groups.
His address would show if what the people see as priorities, based on the Pulse Asia survey result, would be the same ones outlined in his directions for the country.
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A live streaming of Duterte’s address from the House of Representatives complex will be aired on the Sun.Star website at www.sunstar.com.ph tomorrow, Monday. The stream will feature preliminaries like the entry of legislators and other government officials and guests, and the red carpet scene that could be interesting after Duterte changed the attire requirement from Filipiniana formal in past addresses to business attire on Monday.
While the Sona will be one-way from President to the people, the conversation on social media will be from all sides. Duterte will say what he thinks is the state of the nation, the conversation on social media will talk about the situation on the ground. To follow social media discussions, go to Facebook and look for SunStar Philippines or follow on Twitter the hashtag #Sona2016.
For everything about Duterte, visit the microsite http://specials.sunstar.com.ph/thepresident/.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)