A new regional study has urged the Philippines to strengthen its data governance policies to ensure transparency, protect rights, and support inclusive development.
The “D4DAsia Synthesis Report,” released by regional think tank LIRNEasia in partnership with the Data for Development Asia Hub (D4DHub), the Open Development Initiative of EWMI, and the Sinar Project, examined laws and policies in seven countries, including the Philippines. Disini Law and the Digital Freedom Network contributed to the Philippine portion of the study.
The report highlighted several gaps in the country’s framework. The Constitution guarantees the right to information on public matters, but online access to government data remains limited. There is no coordination between the Open Data Portal and other online databases such as the Philippine Statistics Authority’s OpenStat.
“Our report presents gaps in our county’s strategy on data governance,” said Prof. Jesus Disini Jr., associate professor at the UP College of Law and founder of Disini & Disini Law Office.”In highlighting them, we hope to encourage policy-makers and data managers to influence our political leaders to make the necessary legislation to plug these holes soonest.”
The report also noted that the Philippines does not have a government policy on open software and standards, and no legislation is being considered. There are no comprehensive standards for system connectivity, data integration, e-services access, or content management, leaving only general principles to guide agencies.
There is no clear policy on data localization, and current laws do not fully address the implications of artificial intelligence. Copyright law, for instance, recognizes works created by natural persons but does not cover works generated solely by AI.
“Data is an asset and robust data governance is a key advantage in policy-making, especially in the public sector where decisions could impact one way or the other on people’s lives and their livelihood,” said Oliver Xavier Reyes of the UP College of Law.
LIRNEasia, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has been active across emerging Asia Pacific since 2004, focusing on pro-poor, pro-market research and policy engagement.