Only the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff can approve or reject information requests to the military establishment.
The AFP over the weekend officially released its manual on freedom of information (FOI), cascading to all ground units the standard operating procedures, remedies and administrative liabilities in enforcing President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 2 which provides for the people’s right to information.
“The public has the right to know the right information at the right time. An informed populace is a source of national power and right information can empower Filipinos of informed decision,” Col. Noel Detoyato, chief of the AFP public affairs office (PAO), said at the FOI seminar and induction of FOI action officers and staff of unified commands and military units at Camp Aguinaldo on Friday.
Retrieved or denied
In the AFP manual, the AFP-PAO chief is tasked to receive, assess, evaluate and transmit FOI requests filed by a citizen with the concerned offices and units.
Requested information shall be retrieved or denied on valid grounds by the offices and units, which decision should be relayed to the AFP-PAO chief who then will communicate with the AFP chief of staff.
AFP chief’s approval
It states that based on the recommendations of cognizant offices and units, relayed to the AFP-PAO chief, the AFP chief of staff “shall solely approve or deny the release of the requested information.”
The AFP-PAO chief is then tasked to get in touch with the requesting party to communicate the approval or denial
of the release of the information requested.
Based on the AFP’s FOI manual, the AFP can deny a request if the identity of the requesting party is fictitious; it is prompted by sheer idle curiosity or ulterior motive; it is contrary to law, morals, good customs, or public policy; it is for a commercial purpose; and it will compromise national, operational and personnel security.
The manual provides remedies for the denial of information requests and lists down administrative penalties under the Articles of War and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for failure of military personnel to act on requests.