Dr. Braid Attends Paris UNESCO Conference
 
 

AIJC President Emeritus and Senior Adviser Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid recently attended the 34th UNESCO  General Conference in Paris where she presented the country program “for achieving the overarching objective of ‘building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.’”

“An important highlight at the 34th UNESCO General Conference was recognition of the centrality of communication in responding to poverty alleviation and other global problems,” Dr. Braid said. According to her, UNESCO’s contribution to the World Summit on the Information Society was the shift of debate from being technology-focused to human communication.

“What matters is the end – people empowerment and freedom, not the means utilized,” she said.

Dr. Braid joined other delegates in lauding “UNESCO’s continued vigilance on the safety of journalists and deplored the impunity by which killings and threats to journalists had been perpetrated.”

At a special session of the conference, Dr. Braid was asked to share the Philippine experience in organizing the Information for All Programme (IFAP) National Committee which will pursue IFAP at the country level.

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IEC Skills Training for Municipal Court Info Officers
   
 

AIJC officials served as resource persons in the three-day Information, Education and Communication Skills Training for 17 Municipal Court Information Officers (MCIOs) on October 16 to 18. Implemented under the Access to Justice for the Poor Project, the training for MCIOs equipped the participants on basic communication tools to enable them to reach out to the poor who need to know their rights and the judicial options available to them. It was spearheaded by the Supreme Court-Philippine Judicial Academy.

AIJC President Emeritus and Senior Adviser Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid provided the course overview and training framework. She is a member of the Local Technical Assistance Team of the Access to Justice for the Poor Project.

The new AIJC President Ramon R. Tuazon discussed the inventory of IEC materials on the Rule of Law, information dissemination parameters and strategies, and directory of sectoral and institutional partners. He also helped participants define the contours of the envisioned Access to Justice Information Network. On the second day, he spoke on the basics of interpersonal communication, listening and feedback, and effective oral communication.

AIJC Associate Director Ann Lourdes Lopez discussed media and the judicial system, media coverage of court proceedings, and effective written communication. The sessions enabled participants to understand how media relations skills relate to existing Supreme Court guidelines. The lectures also enhanced writing skills to optimize the transmission of information within and outside the Court.

Janelle Dagaas, AIJC Training Coordinator, discussed Filipino cultural values as they affect communication behavior and practices and communicating non-verbally. Together with Mr. Tuazon, she also facilitated the session on effective oral communication which covered how to organize ideas, deliver oral presentation, use of visual aids, and overcome fear of public speaking.
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AIJC conducts Study on Information Access and Transparency Policies
  
 
 
 

The right to information is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article III, Section 7). But what has been done to uphold the people’s right to information access, so that a reality-based policy framework can be developed?

AIJC recently  conducted a study on information access and transparency for UNESCO to inventory and analyze measures formulated and implemented by government organizations and agencies in the last four years. These measures include Philippine laws, bills, codes, directives, rules, and regulations on public access to information.

The study aimed to determine the number and scope of existing laws, regulations, and policies on information access and to generate inputs to current efforts toward a national information policy framework. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions:

1)   What measures exist on information access? What are they about?
2)   Do the number and scope of these measures indicate a commitment to information access?
3)   What features of these measures potentially facilitate and promote access to information?
4)   What gaps exist that need to be filled to improve public access to information in the custody of government?

The study showed a number of gaps in current efforts toward promoting access to information through legislation. One is in the distribution of bills among the six categories that have emerged. Protection against new information-related crimes is very relevant to the people in this digital era. Bills should be passed to prepare citizens and organizations by increasing their understanding of such crimes and deter potential criminals in this area. The right to reply is potentially controversial because of its repercussions on media freedom. There should be more legislative ideas on how to implement freedom of speech in the spirit of fairness to all concerned.

Another gap identified is in the content of the bills themselves. A few of the bills provided for information dissemination about the implementation of the measure, but majority did not. Even taking into consideration the explanation of a key informant that information dissemination will be part of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for a certain law, the bill should still provide for information dissemination. This provision is needed because the bill is on the implementation of access to information;  it will be a major irony if people fail to assert their right to information because implementers forgot to inform them about its existence. (Madeline B. Quiamco)

  
   
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