By: Ann Cuisia
In September 2025, a citizen requested DPWH flood-control project data in CSV or Excel format. The request was denied, with the agency saying no flood-control map database was posted on its website. The citizen was given the option to appeal.
In other DPWH freedom of information (FOI) requests, information was approved for release but requesters were instructed to check their private email for the data.
Permission-based transparency
This illustrates a fundamental weakness of permission-based transparency.
Even when information is eventually released, it may not become a searchable, reusable public dataset. The next citizen may have to ask again, register, submit identification, identify the appropriate agency and wait for a response.
The question is simple: Why should citizens face repeated hurdles—or potentially additional costs—to obtain non-confidential data already collected and maintained using public funds?
Other countries have moved toward disclosure by default. In the United Kingdom, Cabinet Office transactions above £25,000 are regularly published as downloadable CSV files. Public procurement data can also be made available in standardized, machine-readable formats.
Citizens, researchers and civic-technology groups can then analyze public spending without first having to explain who they are or why they want the information.
Policy already exists
The Philippines has already embraced similar principles.
A government policy adopted in 2015 called for government datasets to be publicly accessible by default, machine-readable, openly licensed and regularly updated.
The framework exists. What remains uneven is its implementation across government.
That matters because inaccessible or fragmented data makes it harder for citizens and watchdogs to spot potential red flags: duplicated projects, unusual prices, recurring contractors or payments for unfinished work.
Organizations such as the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism may have investigators, lawyers, sources and institutional experience. Ordinary citizens usually do not.
Transparency should not depend on belonging to a media organization or having the time and resources to navigate bureaucracy.
Open by default
Public records should be open unless a specific lawful exception applies, such as protections involving national security, personal privacy or ongoing investigations.
FOI should remain available for information that cannot reasonably be proactively published or for requests requiring specific records.
But it should not substitute for the government’s responsibility to proactively disclose public information that can be released legally and safely.
When government data is structured, searchable and reusable, citizens gain a practical tool to scrutinize public spending and hold institutions accountable.
When that evidence is difficult to obtain, meaningful public scrutiny becomes much harder. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
The author, Ann Cuisia, is a Filipino technology entrepreneur and blockchain advocate with over 20 years of experience in financial technology and digital transformation. She is the Founder and CEO of TraXion Tech, focusing on Web3 and blockchain innovations to enhance financial inclusion. Cuisia is recognized as a Blockchain Champion at the Philippine Block Awards and plays a key role in promoting blockchain and fintech solutions in the Philippines.
