The Philippines proudly hosted the Global Conference of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2025 at the Hilton Newport World Resorts, Pasay City, solidifying its commitment to the fundamental right to information. The event coincided with the 10th anniversary of the designation of September 28 as IDUAI.
Co-hosted by the Philippine government and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the two-day conference gathered government decision-makers, international experts, Information Commissioners, journalists, and civil society leaders from more than 30 countries.
The conference theme, “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age,” placed critical focus on how transparency and open data can drive climate action and environmental justice.
“The Philippines is honored and proud to host this year’s conference,” said Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez during the opening ceremony. “As the first country in Southeast Asia to host the IDUAI, this celebration is a meaningful recognition of our continuing commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 16.10: ensuring public access to information as a fundamental human right.”
Delegates are set to discuss how policies guaranteeing access to environmental data can strengthen regional cooperation, disaster preparedness, climate action, and advance sustainable development.
Secretary Gomez emphasized the nation’s legal foundation for transparency, citing Article III, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, which recognizes the public’s right to information on matters of public concern.
This constitutional right was operationalized through Executive Order No. 2, series of 2016, which established the Freedom of Information (FOI) Program across the Executive Branch.
“Under the vision of the Bagong Pilipinas campaign—or ‘New Philippines’—we envision a government that is not only for the people but also with the people,” Gomez stated. “A government that listens, informs, and empowers its citizens, because only with an informed citizenry can we build a truly democratic nation.”
For nearly a decade, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has worked to institutionalize the FOI Program via the FOI Program Management Office. Key initiatives highlighted by Secretary Gomez include:
Maintaining the eFOI portal.
Expanding localization efforts.
Launching nationwide capacity-building programs.
Countering misinformation and disinformation through credible and accessible public data.
“We continue to empower our local governments to become FOI-ready, bringing FOI closer to every Filipino,” Gomez concluded.
