Dr. Gabriel M. Salistre, Jr. asks for some clarifications on the responsibilities of ISAT U as a receiving agency.

Ms. Kate B. Refendor, Creative Communications Officer, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), congratulated the university as the first agency in Iloilo to get on-board of the FOI portal during the Freedom of Information (FOI) enhancement training for administrative council members at the HRT Service Center on October 31, 2018.

She also acknowledged the university’s promptness in complying with the FOI Manual, providing the list of all information the agency records, stores and control, and for posting of FOI logo at the agency official website.

The speakers. Ms Kate B. Refendor and Mr. Kristian Veil Nierves.

Miss Refendor talked on the salient features of the FOI Program. She gave attention on the concept of access to information, requirements for FOI request, obligations of ISAT U and the parameters of disclosure of requested documents and the FOI workflow. It was also made clear that FOI is different from other services such as the 888 hot line of the Civil Service Commission, Anti Red Tape Act (ARTA), and the law governing ease of doing business.

On the other hand, the eFOI Portal (electronic FOI portal) and its functionalities and technicalities was elaborated by Mr. Kristian Veil Nierves, Planning Officer II, PCOO. Mr Nierves also underscored the flagging system as the internal warning system for the FOI officer in complying with the time requirement for the requests as provided by the FOI law.