Data is considered one of the 21st century’s most valuable resources, that when transformed into insights and knowledge, can unleash powerful forces for the common good. Improving government data processes, from collection and organization to analysis and access, is key to harnessing the power of data for sustained impact. But open data does not necessarily lead to inclusive outcomes; infomediaries like journalists, scholars, and community organizers play a critical role in empowering citizens to engage the power and governance structures that shape the access, collection, analysis, and use of this data for the provision of public services. Any effort to unleash data as a force for good will thus require the participation of these groups. In essence, data is political. How might we improve the access, quality, and governance of data in the Philippines to increase public participation in governance and improve efficiency and accountability in government services?
Engaging the ecosystem begins with the question of access to quality data. Our study reveals 6 key barriers to access to quality and secure data – 1) misguided interpretations about data privacy, 2) excessive or non-existent data request processes, 3) strained infrastructure and capacity, 4) disjointed data management standards, 5) limitations in accuracy and reliability and overall, and 6) poor appreciation for the use and potential of data – and explores the underlying dynamics behind them.
Our research also reveals bright spots in the country’s quest to maximize the power of data for social and economic progress. We highlight gains made by the Freedom of Information office and the Philippine Statistics Authority, and the potential of investments made by certain government agencies to digitize and streamline their use of data and enhance technical capacity, and efforts to balance the protection of private information and protection of public interest. These suggest that conditions are ripe for a new data-driven chapter in the Philippines’s development trajectory, underwritten by a cross-sector collaboration based on trust.
Drawing lessons from case studies in the fields of public transport, customs, national and local taxation, public procurement, education, civil service, and freedom of information, we outline organizing principles for forming Data for Empowerment Alliance. This alliance will be instrumental in improving public participation in governance, and efficiency and accountability in government services. The key is in activating the dual levers of data culture and technical capacity to proactively and ethically open up quality data at the level of line agencies’ statistical teams.
This report outlines a four-point technical agenda to enable such access, centering on purposefully gathering data, systematically harmonizing data, investing in skilling, and enhancing IT infrastructure. Across different fields, we must ask what data is to be collected and why, and we must also reflect how data is currently being used to reflect the priorities of those in power, and indeed who should hold power. The work of data for empowerment therefore is not merely technical; it must be rooted in community organizing and must foster trust. The report offers three principles to undergird these efforts of empowerment: integration, user-centricity, and adaptability.