PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. The Department of Public Works and Highways says its trust rating has increased following the adoption of the Freedom of Information strategy. Andro Santiago, DPWH OIC of the Stakeholders Affairs Division, during the 2023 FOI Roadshow in Dumaguete City Thursday (Feb. 16, 2023) reported that public engagement had helped them gain the people's trust. (PNA photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Public trust and confidence in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) rose over the past few years as it implements the government’s Freedom of Information (FOI) program, an official said Thursday.
Andro Santiago, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the DPWH’s Stakeholders Affairs Division, in a media interview here, said lack of public engagement in the past led to more than 6,000 complaints against them.
But after adopting the FOI strategy, where they engaged people in discussion, Santiago said the number of complaints dropped and subsequently led to a higher trust rating. Even the tag that the department is one of the “corrupt government agencies” has started to wane, he added.
“Before the implementation of the FOI program, people did not know DPWH’s accomplishment,” he said, admitting that indeed they lacked public engagement before.
FOI, he said, did a lot of things for the department as it is not just about informing the public of the agency’s gains but is also a means to show that they are “committed to public service, that we really focus on the needs of specific people in the community”.
Santiago was among the guest speakers in Thursday’s 2023 FOI Roadshow held in this capital city and is the first leg of a nationwide series undertaken by the FOI Project Management Office under the Presidential Communications Office.
In the past, the official said the public was not aware of the department's undertakings, including the road and bridge inventories. Thus, it is easy for them to criticize and blame the agency.
Because of the absence of public engagement, the public had the tendency to seek the help of the media and even air their grievances on social media platforms, he said.
“And so, what happens is that these concerns and complaints are sensationalized instead of focusing on solutions,” he added.
Since the implementation of the FOI in 2016, DPWH started publishing its accomplishments and other information for the public to access.
In a Pulse Asia survey in 2017, DPWH posted a 58 percent public performance rating compared to a recent survey where it rose to 75 percent due to public engagement and other contributing factors, the official said.
The DPWH has a public assistance and complaints center that caters to the concerns of the people, he added. (PNA)
