Cebu Provincial Administrator Atty. Mark Tolentino.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday said a Nov. 9 memo that requires a written request and prior approval before any document is released by Capitol officials and employees was about observance of “protocol” and protection against “unscrupulous persons”.
“We are not hiding anything here at the Capitol. We’ve always been transparent,” he told reporters.
Davide didn’t say who were the “unscrupulous persons” he referred to as out to derail his administration.
“I just don’t know what their motivation is. They might just use that,” he said even as he described his administration as always liberal in giving out information.
Letters of request don’t have to be long, he said.
The governor said he was aware of the Nov. 9 memo issued by Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino before it was released and his reasons for it.
The memo was similar to the written policy of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who restricted the release of any documents from Capitol offices without approval from her office.
The latest memo, in fact, refers to her 2010 office policy.
When that was pointed out, Governor Davide said no procedures were “revived”, but that they were only made clear through the latest memo.
He said this was the objective of the administrator “who handles day-to-day activities of the executive department” and just wanted to put things in order.
The governor said the memo was not a prohibition but an observance of protocol.
Nov. 9 capped a full week of controversies for the Capitol – the sudden appearance of a giant yellow “Never again” banner in the facade of the Cebu International Convention Center, the death of a baby in a district hospital due to delayed emergency care, and accusations raised by One Cebu candidate Winston Garcia that consultancy contracts worth P83 million bidded out by the province were a waste of money.
Did Garcia’s attacks have something to do with the new memo? The governor said it did not.
“It’s in the budget. Everybody can access that. It’s a public document for all intents and purposes. They could get it from the Provincial Board or the executive department,” said Davide.
Davide said the Capitol gives out information in good faith because access to information of public concern is a constitutional right.
In the Nov. 9 memo, Capitol employees and officials were warned that those who don’t follow the procedure about the release of documents face disciplinary action.
A person who seeks documents from Capitol offices must write to the concerned department head and state one’s purpose. Written approval of the department head is needed before a document is released. All documents released must be reported to the governor’s office. (Read : Capitol restricts release of documents )
Davide said every office follows some form of procedure.
He said he doesn’t see why the memo should be made a big issue.