UK lauds Phl for ‘open gov’t’

MANILA, Philippines – The United Kingdom lauded yesterday the Philippines for putting open government at the heart of its agenda.

British Ambassador Stephen Lillie also urged governments worldwide to put transparency and accountability on top of their agenda.

The government of Britain has started putting more data online, including details of government contracts, for transparency.

Lillie said President Aquino’s speech at the launch of the Open Government Partnership in New York this week was of great interest because the partnership is a new initiative to encourage more transparent and accountable government worldwide.

“The President made an excellent point: that transparency and accountability in government is not only right, it also strengthens government institutions. This sends a clear message to those regimes around the world who believe that repression leads to strength,” Lillie said. “And that message is not just theoretical, it is based on the experiences of the Philippines as it has moved from repressive dictatorship to expressive democracy.”

Lillie said this is an initiative where the UK and Philippines – both members of the partnership’s steering committee – have been working together to prepare for the launch and to encourage other governments to join and commit to making government more accountable.

He said this is a great example of how the two countries are working together on the world stage to promote shared values.

“But it is more than simply sharing a vision. It is about working together to find ways to make governments more open. It is just getting started and no one has all the answers. Everyone in the partnership expects to learn from others. It offers great opportunities for collaboration and innovation in how best to harness new technology to promote better governance.”

Fellow members of the partnership as well as civil society organizations and private sector partners can offer tools, skills, and expertise. All of these will support countries taking steps in the direction of greater openness.

“The UK government has put open government at the heart of its agenda. We are putting more and more data online (www.data.gov.uk), including details of government contracts, who ministers are meeting, how much senior civil servants are paid and much more,” Lillie said.

“We are already using transparency to drive productivity in public services. This work is not always easy. We hope our work on this might be a useful experience for others to draw on,” he added.

Transparency and accountability, Lillie said, are also at the heart of Aquino’s agenda and the Philippines has a lot of experience to share, citing details of government infrastructure contracts that are now being posted on building sites – so everyone knows who won the contract and how much they are being paid.

“It is an exciting time. Openness and sharing data may be one of the most powerful levers of 21st century public policy, because it makes accountability real for citizens, improves outcomes and productivity in key services through informed comparison, helps to make sure public money is spent where it is most needed and drives dynamic economic growth. In this area, I firmly believe both our countries are on the right side of history,” he said. –Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star)