(Paris, France) – Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Martin Andanar, together with Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, joined other global leaders in government, academe, media, and multilateral organizations at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Paris, France on December 7-9, 2016.

“As a prime mover of executive FOI, we are here to share our initial experience in Freedom of Information and learn from the veterans of open government and open data,” Andanar said.

The Philippines was also invited by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to the attend the OGP ministerial roundtable held at OECD headquarters in Paris on December 8.

“The Philippines is in the forefront because of the launch of Freedom of Information (FOI) Executive Order, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte,” Secretary Andanar added.

The OGP is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

This year’s summit was hosted by France. French President François Hollande opened the event in the plenary on December 7.
Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public information and mass media, was also at the biennial event.

Aside from the summit, the Philippine delegation took time to interact with the Filipino community in Paris. In the meeting, organized by the Philippine Embassy in France led by Ambassador Maria Theresa Lazaro, Andanar and Diokno addressed the audience and talked about the accomplishments and future programs of the government.###MARO-CONTENT