• 
I -.' 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 3183 
'12 
MAY-7 P2:5() 
Introduced by Senator GREGORIO B. HONASAN II 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The First Principle declared in Our Constitution states that "The Philippines is a 
democratic and republican state_ Sovereignty resides in the people and all government 
authority emanates from them_" (Sec_ 1, Article 2 -Declaration of Principles and State 
Policies of the 1987 Constitution) 
As such, our democratic government is Government of the People, by the 
People, and for the People. But the prevailing reality is that most of our less privileged 
Filipino brethren are born, struggle to survive, and die without knowing that they are the 
rightful constitutional owners of this beautiful country_ 
If we are serious about sustainable development of our democracy as we are 
about our economy, transparency and open government must be at its core. If we have 
freedom of information tempered effectively by a corresponding sense of responsibility, 
armed conflict, organized hypocrisy and self-righteousness and excesses of partisan 
politics will become obsolete. The freedoms of speech and of the press will always have 
to be balanced with the right to life and honor as constitutional principles. But in all 
instances, the tension between disclosure and secrecy will always have to be guided by 
the north star of public interest. 
Now we continue to fight on. A government of the People, by the People, and for 
the People is a government owned by the People. 
And only when the people are 
empowered with information and the truth can there be genuine democracy. Together, 
we continue working for Freedom of Information. Today we reclaim our rights. Today, 
we resume our responsibility, Today our People must must be informed that it is they 
who own this country and its government. Today we give life to the People's Ownership 
of Government Information Act (POGI Act of 2012). Today we recapture our future for 
our most precious and strategic resource: Our Children. 
It is only when we have a larger purpose to what we do ca 
e egin to speak of 
ourselves as one nation. 
In view of the foregoing, the early enactment of this bill i earn sUy sought. 
GORIO B. HONASAN II 
Senator 


· . 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 3183 
Introduced by Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II 
AN ACT 
'12 
11AY-7 P2:5Q 
IMPLEMENTING THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP OVER INFORMATION 
HELD BY THE PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "People's Ownership of 
Government Information (POGI) Act of 2012." 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - Pursuant to the First Principle declared in Our 
Constitution that Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority 
emanates from them, the right of the people to effective and reasonable participation at 
all levels of social, political and economic decision making, the right of the people to 
information on matters of public concern, and the policy of full public disclosure of all 
government transactions involving public interest, it is hereby declared that All 
Government Information is Owned by the People and that public access to all 
government information, as a general rule, serves the public interest and exceptional 
instances restricting access thereto, as provided herein, shall only be allowed also by 
reason of public interest. 
SEC. 3. Coverage -
This Act shall cover all branches, departments, and 
instrumentalities of government, including all local government units, collectively 
referred to as governments agencies defined under Section 4 of this Act, . 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act: 
(A) "Information" shall mean any record, document, paper, report, letters, contract, 
minutes and transcripts of official meetings, maps, books, photographs, data, research 


" 
material, film, sound and video recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data, 
computer stored data, or any other like or similar data or material recorded, stored or 
archived in whatever form or format, which are made, received or kept in or under the 
control and custody of any government agency pursuant to law, executive order, rules 
and regulations, ordinance or in connection with the performance or transaction of 
official business by any government agency. 
(B) "Government agency/agencies" shall inClude the executive, legislative and judicial 
branches as well as constitutional bodies of the Republic of the Philippines including, 
but not limited to, the national government and all its agencies, departments, bureaus, 
offices and instrumentalities, constitutional commissions and constitutionally mandated 
bodies, local governments and all their agencies, regulatory agencies, chartered 
institutions, government-owned or controlled corporations, including wholly-owned or 
controlled subsidiaries, government financial institutions, state universities and colleges, 
the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, all offices in the 
Congress of the Philippines including the offices of Senators and Representatives, the 
Supreme Court and all lower courts established by law. 
(C) "Official record/records" shall refer to information produced or received by a public 
officer or employee, or by a government agency in an official capacity or pursuant to a 
public function or duty, regardless of whether the information is in the draft, final, or any 
other stage or status. 
(D) "Public record/records" shall include information required by law, executive orders, 
rules, or regulations to be entered, kept and made publicly available by a government 
agency. 
SEC. 5. Access to Information. - Every Filipino citizen has a right to and shall, on 
request, be given access to any record under the control of a government agency. 
Government agencies shall make available to the public for scrutiny, copying and 
reproduction in the manner provided by this Act, all information pertaining to official 
acts, transactions or decisions, as well as government research data used as a basis for 
policy development, subject to the exceptions enumerated under section 7 of this Act, 
regardless of their physical form or format in which they are contained and by whom 
they were made. 
SEC. 6. Presumption. - There shall be a legal presumption in favor of access to 
information. No request for information shall be denied unless it clearly falls under the 
exceptions provided under this Act. 


'. 
SEC. 7. Exceptions. - Access to information shall be granted unless: 
(A) The information is specifically authorized to be kept secret under guidelines 
established by an executive order, and in fact properly classified pursuant thereto: 
Provided, That 1) The information directly relates to national security or defense and its 
revelation may cause grave damage to the national security or internal and external 
defense of the State; or 2) The information requested pertains to the foreign affairs of 
the Republic of the Philippines, when its revelation may weaken the negotiating position 
of the government in an ongoing bilateral or multilateral negotiation or seriously 
jeopardize the diplomatic relations of the Philippines with any state. Provided, further, 
That the executive order shall specify the reasonable period after which the information 
shall be automatically declassified or subject to mandatory declassification review, and 
that any reasonable doubt as to classification and declassification shall be settled in 
favor of the right to information; 
(B) The minutes and records of advice given and records of opinions expressed during 
decision-making or policy formulation, invoked by the Chief Executive to be privileged 
by reason of the sensitivity of the subject matter or by reason of the impairment of the 
Chief Executive's deliberative process that would result from the disclosure thereof. 
Once policy has been formulated and decisions made, minutes and research data may 
be made available for disclosure unless they were made in executive session. 
(C) The information requested pertains to internal and/or external defense, law 
enforcement, and border control, when the disclosure thereof may: 
(i) compromise or interfere with any legitimate military or law enforcement 
operation, or 
(ii) compromise or interfere with the legitimate prevention, detection or 
suppression of criminal activity, or the legitimate implementation of immigration controls 
and border security, or 
(iii) deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, or 
(iv) lead to the disclosure of the identity of a confidential source, including a 
government, or foreign agency or authority or any private institution which furnished 
information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information compiled 
by a law enforcement authority in the course of an investigation or by an agency 


• 
conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, information furnished by 
a confidential source, or 
(v) disclose legitimate techniques and procedures for law enforcement 
investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose legitimate guidelines for law 
enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be 
expected to risk circumvention of the law, or 
(vi) endanger the life or physical safety of any individual. 
(0) The information requested consists of drafts of orders, resolutions, decisions, 
memoranda or audit reports by any executive, administrative, regulatory, constitutional, 
judicial or quasi-judicial body in the exercise of their regulatory, audit and adjudicatory 
function. 
(E) The information requested is obtained by either House of Congress, or any 
committee thereof, in executive session. 
(F) The information requested pertains to the personal information of a natural person 
other than the requesting party, and its disclosure would constitute an unwarranted 
invasion of his or her personal privacy, unless it forms part of a public record, or the 
person is or was an official of a government agency and the information relates to his or 
her public function or the person has consented, in writing, to the disclosure of the 
information; 
(G) The information requested pertains to trade secrets and commercial or financial 
information obtained from a natural or juridical person other than the requesting party, 
obtained in confidence or covered by privileged communication, and/or filed with a 
government agency, whenever the revelation thereof would prejudice the interests of 
such natural or juridical person in trade, industrial, financial or commercial competition. 
(H) The information is classified as privileged communications in legal proceedings by 
law or by the Rules of Court. 
(I) The information requested is exempted from disclosure by law or by the Constitution, 
in addition to those provided in this section. 
(J) The information has already been made accessible as provided in Section 13 of this 
Act. 
e 
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.. 
For letters (c) to G) of this section, the determination whether any of these grounds shall 
apply shall be the responsibility of the head of office of the government agency in 
custody or control of the information, or any responsible central or field officerls duly 
designated by him. Provided, That: 
(1) The exceptions are strictly construed; 
(2) The exceptions are not used to cover-up a crime, wrong-doing, graft, or corruption; 
(3) The President, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and 
the Constitutional Commissions may waive an exception with respect to information in 
the custody of offices under their respective supervision or control, when they deem that 
there is an overriding public interest in disclosure; 
(4) The exceptions do not constitute authority to withhold information from Congress, 
nor authority for the executive branch of a local government unit to withhold information 
from the legislative body of such local government unit; and 
(5) Even if the information requested falls under the exceptions set forth in this Section, 
access to information shall not be denied if public interest in the disclosure of the 
information outweighs public interest in securing its confidentiality. 
SEC. 8. Mandatory Disclosure of Information. - Government agencies are mandated 
to regularly disclose the following information in the duration and manner provided 
hereunder: 
(A) In fulfillment of Article XI, Section 17 of the Constitution, the following national 
officials shall disclose to the public, through their official website, their Statement of 
Assets, Liabilities, and Net worth (SALN) on an annual basis: 
offices; and 
(1) the President; 
(2) the Vice- President; 
(3) the Members of the Cabinet; 
(4) the Members of Congress; 
(5) the Justices of Supreme Court; 
(6) the Members of Constitutional Commissions and other constitutional 
(7) officers of the armed forces with general or flag rank. 
(B) All agencies of all branches of government shall upload on their websites, 
which shall be updated monthly, a register of the following public interest transactions, 
documents or records, including: 


•• 
(1) Annual Budget of Government Agencies; 
(2) Itemized Monthly Collections and Disbursement; 
(3) Summary of Income and Expenditures; 
(4) Component of the IRA Utilization; 
(5) Annual Procurement Plan and Procurement List; 
(6) Items to Bid; 
(7) Bid Results on Civil Works, and Goods and Services; 
(8) Abstract of Bids as Calculated; 
(9) Procurement contracts entered into by a government agency; 
(10) Construction or concession agreements or contracts entered into by a 
government agency with any domestic or foreign person or entity; 
(11) Private sector participation agreements or contracts in infrastructure 
and development projects under Republic Act No. 6957, as amended by 
Republic Act No. 7718, authorizing the financing, construction, operation 
and maintenance of infrastructure projects; 
(12) Public funding extended to any private entity; 
(13) Bilateral or multilateral agreements and treaties in trade, economic 
partnership, investments, cooperation and similar binding commitments; 
(14) Licenses, permits or agreements granted by any government agency 
to any person or entity for the extraction and/or utilization of natural 
resources and a list of the grantees; 
(15) Guarantees given by any government agency to government-owned 
or -controlled corporations and to private corporations, persons or entities; 
(16) Loans from domestic and foreign financial institutions; 
(17) Loans, grants, development assistance, technical assistance, and 
programs entered into by a government agency with official bilateral or 
multilateral agencies, as well as with private aid agenCies or institutions; 
and 
(18) Compromise agreements entered into by a government agency with 
any person or entity. 
The register shall contain a brief description of the transaction involved, including, but 
not limited to: the nature and object of the transaction, the parties and amounts 
involved, the key steps undertaken towards its conclusion, and the relevant dates 
provided that contracts and agreements involving an amount of at least fifty million 
pesos (P50,000,000.00) shall be uploaded in full on the website of the concerned 
government agency or the Official Gazette Online. A covered record shall be enrolled in 
the register not later than 30 working days from its perfection or issuance. 


.' 
(C) Each government agency shall regularly publish, print and disseminate at no 
cost to the public and in an accessible form, in conjunction with Republic Act 9485, or 
the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, and through their website, timely, true, accurate and 
g 
updated key information including, but not limited to: 
(1) A People's Ownership of Government Information Manual in full; 
(2) A description of its mandate, structure, powers, functions, duties and 
decision-making processes; 
(3) A description of the frontline services it delivers and the procedure and length 
of time by which they may be availed of; 
(4) The names of its key officials, their powers, functions and responsibilities, and 
their profiles and curriculum vitae; 
(5) The Statement of Assets and Liabilities of the public officers of the 
government agency; 
(6) Work programs, developrnent plans, investment plans, projects, performance 
targets 
and 
accomplishments, 
and 
budgets, 
revenue 
allotments 
and 
expenditures; 
(7) Important rules and regulations, orders or decisions: Provided, That they be 
published within fifteen (15) calendar days from promulgation; 
(8) Rules of procedure, descriptions of forms available or the places at which 
forms rnay be obtained, and instructions as to the scope and contents of all 
papers, reports, or examinations; 
(9) Substantive rules of general applicability adopted as authorized by law, and 
statements of general policy or interpretations of general applicability formulated 
and adopted by the agency, including subsequent amendments; 
(10) Current and important database and statistics that it generates; 
(11) Bidding processes and requirements; and 
(12) Mechanisms or procedures by which the public may participate in or 
otherwise influence the formulation of policy or the exercise of its powers. 
,~ 
All government agencies shall over time endeavor and build the capacity and practice to 
upload in full all other contracts, agreements, or treaties covered under this section, 
specially those that are of the highest public interest by reason of the amounts involved 
and the impact of the transaction to the public. All government agencies must ensure 
that they have a compliant website within two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act. 
Should an agency lack the capacity to comply with the website uploading requirement of 
this section, the agency shall initiate a capacity-building program, coordinate with 


another appropriate agency, or use an alternative mechanism, to facilitate substantive 
compliance not later than three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act. The National 
Computer Center shall monitor all government agency websites and render the 
appropriate support for their development and full compliance with the requirements of 
this Act. 
For purposes of improving capability, every government agency shall ensure the 
provision of adequate training for its officials to improve awareness of the people's 
ownership of government information and the provisions of this Act, and to keep 
updated as to best practices in relation to information disclosure, records maintenance 
and archiving. 
In order to develop accessibility of language and form, every government agency shall 
endeavor to translate key information into major Filipino languages and present them in 
popular form and means. 
SEC. 9. Protection of Privacy - While providing for access to information in public 
records, this Act also affords full protection of the right to privacy of individuals, as 
follows: 
,~ 
(a) A government agency must ensure that personal information in its custody or under 
its control is disclosed only as permitted under this Act; 
(b) A government agency must protect personal information in its custody or under its 
control by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized 
access, collection, use, disclosure, or disposal; 
(c) An employee, officer or director of a government agency who has access, whether 
authorized or unauthorized, to personal information in the custody of the agency, must 
not disclose that information except as authorized under this Act. 
SEC. 10. People's Ownership of government Information Manual. - (A) For the 
effective implementation of this Act, all government agencies shall prepare a People's 
Ownership of Government Information Manual, setting forth the following: 
(1) The location and contact information of the head, regional, provincial and field 
offices, and other established places where the public can obtain government 
information or submit requests; 


•• 
(2) The types of information it generates, produces, holds and/or publishes; 
(3) A description of its record-keeping system; 
(4) The person or office responsible for receiving requests for information; 
(5) The procedure for the filing of requests personally, by mail, or through the 
identified electronic means; 
(6) The standard forms for the submission of request and for the proper 
acknowledgement of the request; 
(7) The process for the disposition of the request, including the routing of the 
request to the person or office with the duty to act on the request, the decision-
making process, and the grant or denial of access and its implementation; 
(8) The procedure for the administrative appeal of any denial for access to 
information; 
(9) The schedule of fees; 
(10) The process and procedure for the mandatory disclosure of information 
under Section 8 of this Act; provided that, should the agency lack the capacity to 
fully comply therewith, a brief description of its plan to facilitate compliance within 
three (3) years from the approval of this Act; and 
(11) Such other information, taking into consideration the unique characteristics 
of an agency, that will help facilitate the effective implementation of this Act. 
(b) The foregoing information shall also be posted in its website and bulletin boards, and 
shall be regularly updated; 
(c) In no case shall the absence of the aforementioned Manual be a reason for the 
denial of any request for information made in accordance with this Act. 
(d) The heads of each of the departments and agencies may designate liaison units or 
Committees who shall coordinate with the other units of the agency in implementing this 
act. The composition, functions and duties of these liaison units or Committees shall be 
included in the People's Ownership of Government Information Manual. 
SEC. 11. Procedure of Access. - (A) Any person who wishes to obtain information 
shall submit, free of charge, a request to the governrnent agency concerned personally, 
by rnail, or through electronic means. A person who is unable, because of illiteracy or 
due to being a person with disability, to make a written request for information may 
, 
make an oral request, and the public official who receives the oral request shall reduce 
it to writing, and include his name and pOSition within the government agency, and give 
a copy thereof to the person who made the request. The request shall state the name 
and preferred contact information of the requesting party, and reasonably describe the 


information required, the reason for the request of the information and the preferred 
means by which the govemment agency shall communicate such information to the 
requesting party: Provided, That the stated reason shall not be used as a ground to 
deny the request or to refuse the acceptance of the request, unless such reason is 
contrary to law. If the request is submitted personally, the requesting party shall show 
his current identification card issued by any govemment agency, or govemment or 
private employer or school, or a community tax certificate. If the request is submitted by 
mail or through electronic means, the requesting party may submit a photostatic or 
electronically scanned copy of the identification, or other convenient means as 
determined by the agency. 
(8) The public official receiving the request shall provide reasonable assistance, free of 
charge, to enable all requesters and particularly those with special needs, to comply 
with the request requirements under this section. 
(C) The request shall be stamped by the govemment agency, indicating the date and 
time of receipt and the name, rank, title and position of the receiving public officer or 
employee with the corresponding signature, and a copy thereof fumished to the 
requesting party. In case the request is submitted by electronic means, the govemment 
agency shall provide for an equivalent means by which the requirements of this 
paragraph shall be met. Each govemment agency shall establish a system to trace the 
status of all requests for information received by it. 
(0) The request may indicate the requesting party's preferred mode and means of 
receiving the information requested, provided that the mode and means are reasonable, 
taking into consideration equipment normally available to the concemed govemment 
agency. 
(E) A govemment agency may communicate the information requested in a form other 
than the preferred means whenever the agency has no capability in communicating the 
information in the preferred format, or such preferred means would unreasonably 
interfere with the effective operation of the agency or be detrimental to the preservation 
of the record. 
(F) The govemment agency shall comply with such request as soon as practicable, and 
in any case within fifteen (15) working days from the receipt thereof. The period may be 
extended whenever the information requested requires a search of the government 
agency's field or satellite offices, examination of voluminous records, the occurrence of 
fortuitous events or other analogous cases. 


.. 
(G) The government agency shall, in writing or through electronic means, notify the 
person making the request of the extension, setting forth the reasons for such extension 
and the date when the information shall be made available, which in no case shall result 
in an extension of more than twenty (20) working days. 
(H) Once a decision is made to grant the request, the person making the request shall 
be notified of such and shall pay the required access and processing fees. 
(I) 
If the information is not held by the government agency to which the request was 
made, it shall notify the requester that it does not hold the information, and indicate to 
the requester which agency holds the record, if known. Whenever practicable, the 
agency receiving the request may also cause the transfer of the request to the 
appropriate agency that holds the information: Provided, That the period to comply with 
the request under this section shall begin to run only upon the receipt of the agency to 
which the request is transferred. 
SEC. 12. Access and Processing Fees. -
Government agencies may charge a 
reasonable fee to reimburse the actual cost of reproduction, copying or transcription and 
the communication of the information requested. An agency may waive the fees 
whenever it is satisfied that the requester is an indigent, or that the cost of reproduction 
is negligible, or that it is pursuant to a program for proactive disclosure. 
SEC. 13. Exemption From Compliance. - The government agency is excused from 
complying with a subsequent identical or substantially similar request from the same 
requesting party where it has previously complied with a request for information unless 
a reasonable interval has lapsed between compliance with the previous request and the 
making of the current request provided that the government agency complies with 
Section 14 of this Act. 
SEC. 14. Notice of Denial with Check-Box Options for Immediate Reconsideration 
or Appeal. - (A) If the government agency decides to deny the request, in whole or in 
part, it shall, as soon as practicable, and in any case within fifteen (15) working days 
from the receipt of the request, notify the person making the request of such denial in 
writing or through electronic means. The notice shall clearly set forth the ground or 
grounds for denial and the circumstances on which the denial is based, and indicate 
available rights of reconsideration or appeal. Failure to notify the person making the 
I 
request of the denial, or of the extension, shall be deemed a denial of the request for 
., 
access to information. 


• 
,. 
(8) Every Notice of Denial shall include check-box options to be checked by the 
requester for the Immediate Reconsideration or Appeal to the head of the agency, the 
Office of the Ombudsman, or the proper court, If the requester, after indicating his 
desired remedy and appellate authority, submits his Request for Reconsideration or 
Appeal with the govemment official communicating the Notice of Denial to the 
requester, that government official shall be responsible for immediately coursing the 
Request for Reconsideration or Appeal to the appropriate official or appellate authority: 
Provided, That the Request for Appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman or the proper 
court must be verified. The Government official communicating the Notice of Denial 
shall inform the requester of the proper procedure for verifying an Appeal. 
SEC. 15. Remedies in Cases of Denial. - (A) In all government agencies other than 
the judicial branch-
(1) Every denial of a request for access to information may be appealed to the Head of 
Agency, following the procedure mentioned in Section 10 (a) (8) of this Act: Provided, 
That the appeal must be filed within fifteen (15) calendar days from the receipt of the 
notice of denial and must be decided within fifteen (15) calendar days from filing. Failure 
to resolve the appeal within the aforementioned period shall constitute a denial of the 
appeal; 
(2) Instead of appealing or after the denial of the appeal, the person denied access to 
information may file a verified appeal with the Office of the Ombudsman, praying that 
the government agency concerned be directed to immediately afford access to the 
information being requested. Such Appeal shall be resolved by the Office of the 
Ombudsman within sixty (60) calendar days from filing, or earlier when time is of the 
essence, taking into account such factors as the nature of the information requested, 
context of the request, public interest and danger that the information requested will 
become moot. The Office of the Ombudsman shall promulgate its special rules of 
procedure for the immediate disposition of Appeals filed pursuant to this Section. Unless 
restrained or enjoined, the decisions of the Office of the Ombudsman shall be 
immediately executory, without prejudice to review in accordance with the Rules of 
Court. 
(3) Instead of filing an Appeal with the Office of the Ombudsman, whenever a request 
for information is denied originally or on administrative appeal, the requesting party may 
file a verified Appeal in the proper court, praying that judgment be rendered ordering the 
respondent, immediately or at some other time to be specified by the court, to disclose 
the information and to pay the damages sustained by the requesting party by reason of 
the denial. The procedure for such petition shall be summary in nature. 
6 
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, 
'. 
(4) In resolving an Appeal brought under the preceding paragraphs (2) and (3), the 
Ombudsman or the court is empowered to receive the information subject of a claim of 
exception under Section 7 herein and examine them in camera to determine the 
sufficiency of the factual and legal basis of such claim, when such sufficiency cannot be 
reasonably determined through evidence and circumstances apart from the information. 
(5) The requester may, in addition to and together with his Request for Reconsideration 
or Appeal, submit further arguments to strengthen his request. 
(B) In the Judicial Branch - The Judiciary shall be governed by such remedies as 
promulgated by the Supreme Court. 
(C) The remedies under this section are without prejudice to any other administrative, 
civil or criminal action covering the same act. 
(D) The remedies available under this Act shall be exempt from the rules on non-
exhaustion of administrative remedies and the application of the provisions of Republic 
Act No. 9285, otherwise known as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004. 
(E) In case the requesting party has limit8d or no financial capacity, the Public 
Attorn8y's Offic8 shall b8 mandated to provide legal assistance to the requester in 
availing of the remedies provided under this Act. 
SEC. 16. Keeping of Records. -
(A) Government agencies shall create and/or 
maintain in appropriate formats, accurate and reasonably complete documentation or 
records of their organization, policies, transactions, decisions, resolutions. enactments, 
actions, procedures, operations, activities, communications and documents received or 
filed with them and the data generated or collected. These shall include working files 
such as drafts or notes, whenever these have been circulated within the agency for 
official purpose such as for discussion, comment or approval or when these contain 
unique information that can substantially contribute to a proper understanding of the 
agency organization, policies, transactions, deCisions, resolutions, enactments, actions, 
procedures, operations, and activities; 
(B) Government agencies shall identify specific and classes of official records in their 
custody or control that have continuing historical, administrative, informational, legal, 
evidentiary, or research value for preservation by such agencies or their legitimate 
successors, or for transfer to the National Archives of the Philippines. In addition, the 
! 
., 


National Archives of the Philippines shall likewise identify specific and classes of official 
records that it shall require agencies to preserve and transfer to it. 
(C) In addition to the specific and classes of official records identified for preservation 
under letter (B) of this section, the following shall not be destroyed: 
(1) Records pertaining to loans obtained or guaranteed by the government; 
(2) Records of government contracts; 
(3) The declaration under oath of the assets, liabilities and net worth of public 
officers and employees, as required by law; and 
(4) Records of official investigations pertaining to allegations of graft and 
corruption of public officers. 
(0) Government agencies shall prepare, following standards and period promulgated 
pursuant to Republic Act No. 9470 or the National Archives of the Philippines Act of 
2007, a records management program that includes the following: 
(1) A records maintenance system for the creation, selection, classification, 
indexing and filing of official records that facilitate the easy identification, retrieval 
and communication of information to the public; 
2) A records maintenance, archival and disposition schedule providing a listing of 
records under current use, for retention by the agency, for transfer to the National 
Archives, or for destruction: Provided, That destruction of the official records may 
be implemented only upon approval of the National Archives of the Philippines; 
and 
(3) A speCifications of the roles and responsibilities of agency personnel in the 
implementation of such system and schedule. 
(E) In addition to its function as repository of all rules and regulations issued by 
agencies as provided under Book VII, Chapter II of the Administrative Code of 1987, the 
University of the Philippines Law Center shall, in coordination with the Office of the 
President which has exclusive editorial and printing jurisdiction over the Official Gazette, 
and with other relevant agencies, maintain a database, and publish the same in print in 
the Official Gazette or in digital or online form, the following: 
(1) All laws of the Philippines and their amendments, from the period of the 
Philippine Commission to the present; 
(2) All preSidential issuances from November 15, 1935 to the present, including 
but not limited, to executive orders, presidential proclamations, administrative 
orders, memorandum circulars, general orders, and other similar issuances; 
I) 
" 


" 
(3) A database of all appointments and designations made by the President of 
the Philippines; and 
(4) Opinions of the Secretary of Justice. 
SEC. 17. Publication in the Official Gazette. For purposes of mandatory disclosure as 
provided in section 8 of this Act, online publication in the Official Gazette website shall 
be considered official publication provided there shall be a timestamp in the said 
document. 
For purposes of compliance with Article 2 of the Civil Code of the Philippines, 
publication of the following in the online version of the Official Gazette, with the 
corresponding timestamps on the document, shall be considered as official publication: 
(A) All important legislative acts and resolutions of a public nature of the 
Congress of the Philippines; 
(8) All executive and administrative orders and proclamations of general 
application; 
(C) Decisions or abstracts of decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of 
Appeals or other courts of similar rank, as may be deemed by said courts of sufficient 
,! 
importance to be so published; 
(E) Such documents or classes of documents as the President shall determine 
from time to time to have general application or which he may authorize to be published. 
However, other documents or classes of documents as may be required to be 
published by law, such as petitions and/or legal notices in connection with land titles, 
naturalization or special proceedings shall continue to be published in the print version 
of the OffiCial Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation for purposes of 
compliance with the publication requirement. 
SEC. 18. Administrative Liability. - The acts enumerated in this Section shall be 
tantamount to a grave administrative offense and shall constitute grounds for 
administrative and disciplinary sanction against any public official or employee who 
willfully and knowingly commits the following: 
(a) Refusal to promptly forward the request under Section 11 of this Act to the public 
officer within the same office or agency responsible for officially acting on the request 
when suoh is the direct cause of the failure to disclose the information within the periods 
required by this Act; 


(b) Failure to act on the request within the periods required by this Act; 
(c) Refusal to comply with the decision of his immediate supervisor, the Ombudsman, or 
of any court ordering the release of information; 
(d) Approval of policies, rules and regulations clearly contrary to the provisions of this 
Act, and which policies, rules and regulations are the direct cause of the denial of a 
request for information. 
SEC. 19. Criminal Liability. - (A) Any public official or employee who falsely denies or 
conceals the existence of information which is a proper subject for disclosure under this 
Act shall be liable for the crime of removal, concealment or destruction of documents as 
defined under Article 226 of the Revised Penal Code. 
(8) Any public official or employee who destroys, or causes to be destroyed, 
information and/or documents being requested under this Act, for the purpose of 
frustrating the requesting party's access thereto, shall be liable for the crime of removal, 
concealment or destruction of documents as defined under Article 226 of the Revised 
Penal Code. 
(C) Any individual who knowingly directed, induced or caused the commission of the 
foregoing acts shall be liable as principal by inducement in the prosecution of public 
officials or employees under this section. 
(D) The penalty of Imprisonment of not less than one (1) month but not more than six 
(6) months shall be imposed upon any public officer or employee responsible for 
officially acting on the request, and who shall claim an exception under Section 7 of this 
Act, or under the Constitution, when such claim is manifestly devoid of factual basis. 
SEC. 20. Mere Denial in Good Faith Not a Ground for Liability. - A mere denial in 
good faith of a request made pursuant to the provisions of this Act shall not constitute 
grounds for administrative sanction or criminal liability. 
SEC. 21. Act Not a Bar to Claim of Right to Information Under the Constitution. 
No provision of this Act shall be interpreted as a bar to any claim of denial of the right to 
information under Article III, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution. 
SEC. 22. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this 
~ 
Act shall be charged against the agencies' current budget and shall thereafter be 
included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SEC. 23. Separability Clause. -
If any section or part of this Act is held 
unconstitutional, no other section or provision shall be affected. 


SEC. 24. Repealing Clause. -
All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations, issuances or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, 
including sections 18, 24 and 25 of Executive Order No. 292 in relation to Article 2 of 
Republic Act No. 386, Memorandum Circular No. 78 dated 14 August 1964 
(Promulgating Rules Governing Security of Classified Matter in Government Offices), as 
amended, and Section 3, Rule IV of the Rules Implementing Republic Act No. 6713 
(Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), are 
deemed repealed. 
SEC. 25. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,