The Department of Agriculture (DA) was recognized as one of the Top Requested and Performing Agency by the Freedom of Information – Project  Management Office (FOI-PMO) of the Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO) during the 2021 FOI Awards held on November 25, 2021 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City.

The DA is among the agencies which successfully processed and responded to 250 to 499 requests and with at least 90 percent closed transactions in the eFOI portal.

Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Roldan Gorgonio received the award, in behalf of Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

The FOI Awards Committee screened 900 agencies across the country starting from July to August 2021.

The FOI-PMO also recognized DA’s FOI Receiving Officer (FRO), Kristel Joyce Merle of the Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division, as one of the Best FOI Receiving Officers. The award is given to FROs who have successfully contributed to the advocacy of providing public information to the Filipino people.

Currently, FOI has 4,000 receiving officers from the national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges, water districts, local government units, and law enforcement agencies.

FOI was first implemented five years ago through the issuance of Presidential Executive Order no. 2, signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on July 23, 2016.

The DA, which has been supporting the implementation of FOI since 2016, and has lodged with eFOI portal since 2017, has been a top performer for three consecutive years. ### (Kristel Joyce Merle, DA-AFID)