QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila—Clients of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) can now have better access to accurate and truthful information since the Institute has been certified as “fully compliant” with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) program.

The certification was issued by the Presidential Communications Operations Office signed by Secretary and FOI Champion Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar. The certification signified that the ATI has fully complied with all FOI 2018 requirements set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance Monitoring Information and Reporting Systems, also known as Task Force Administrative Order 25, s. 2011.

In addition, the ATI has completed and uploaded its FOI manual on its official website, through the transparency seal, for the public to be informed on how the Institute, including its network of training centers, deals with information requests under Executive Order No. 2 on FOI.

This effort is also in line with the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) goal to promote greater transparency, accountability, and grassroots participation in governance. Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol stressed how the FOI Program balances both the public’s right to information and the government’s need to protect its data.

Furthermore, Piñol noted in his message on the DA’s experience in implementing the FOI Program, “By arming our farmers and fisherfolk and all our stakeholders and citizens with accurate and truthful information, we are confident that FOI will strengthen our people’s meaningful participation in crafting vital agricultural reforms and achieving food security and inclusive growth for all our countrymen.”

For more details on the ATI’s FOI manual, visit http://ati.da.gov.ph/ati-main/content/ati-transparency-seal.