Leveraging transparency, accountability for sustainable economic growth

Transparency and accountability should be viewed as core values that are integral to the progress and development of a nation. By embracing openness and responsibility for their decisions, public institutions can better serve citizens and restore trust between the government and society.

Adopting greater standards of integrity towards reporting information and taking a more proactive approach when responding to problems starts with examining how transparency can best manifest itself within an institution's processes.
 
In the current digital age, governance has never been more important when it comes to achieving a healthy and prosperous society. As governments worldwide face an ever-growing wealth of data, transparent and accountable decision-making is essential for creating policies that best serve their citizens.

With citizens becoming more connected to each other through a variety of media outlets, governance is no longer a passive action—it requires active engagement from all parties involved. This means that leaders need to embrace practices that make their administrations open, accountable and responsive to the needs of the public.
 
Such core values must be sustained to maintain trust between governmental entities and those whose lives they influence daily. Transparency and accountability should be considered integral elements of any government’s ethos to effectively meet the needs of its constituents while still creating an atmosphere capable of effective decision-making processes.
 
Genuine transparency and accountability, however, continue to be elusive in government functions worldwide.
 
The Philippines has long struggled to uphold its democratic ideals while battling the odds of bureaucracy and corruption, for example, in the form of red tape and sluggish decision-making processes. The economy is heavily reliant on a variety of public and private investments, making it essential for decision-makers to understand and leverage transparency and accountability standards as key drivers of economic growth.

Achieving sustainable economic growth requires governments to ensure clarity, fairness, and integrity in the way they manage resources, information, policies and regulations that affect the lives of citizens. Raising our standards of governance can create an environment where trust is restored, and citizens are at ease knowing their interests are represented by their public leaders.
 
At its core, governance means setting up systems to ensure effective management and oversight of public funds by providing access to information and data, engaging in meaningful dialogue with citizens, and responding to concerns in a timely manner. 

In this context, transparency ensures that all stakeholders can access information about these projects. Accountability holds decision-makers responsible for how these resources are used.
 
The country has long held democratic ideals and yet challenges exist in living out these values. Effective governance is not just about implementing policies or regulations, but also about creating an environment of trust between the government and citizens.

Fortunately, the Philippine government has taken steps to bring about greater transparency and accountability by introducing the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and creating a budget monitoring tool that allows citizens to track government spending.
 
The Anti-Red Tape Act was also passed to streamline bureaucratic processes, thus decreasing the rate of corruption by reducing opportunities for those in power to take advantage of their positions. The passage of the law has helped create an environment where citizens can be confident that their rights and interests will be protected when dealing with government institutions.
 
In addition, the government has also implemented systems such as dashboard reporting and open data initiatives that allow citizens to access information about how their taxes are being used, where funds are being allocated, and what decisions are being made on their behalf. This has enabled citizens to actively participate in the decision-making process and hold the government accountable for its actions.

While there remains much work to be done in this regard, a strong approach to compliance with these principles can help create a more equitable economy for all Filipinos. It is essential that both the public and private sectors take responsibility, because ensuring transparency and accountability remains at the heart of Philippine governance.

As Filipinos, we all have an obligation to ensure that our democratic systems of governance are held to the highest standards of transparency and accountability. We deserve no less than sound economic policy based on transparent decision-making processes and proper resource allocation monitored through effective accountability mechanisms that prioritize social welfare outcomes. Such an approach will lay the foundation for sustainable growth that benefits all citizens in the long run.
 
We should not just expect our public institutions to commit to good governance—we must actively demand it. Transparency is a critical aspect of our future democracy. It must not be seen as an obligation, but rather a vital responsibility that government and organizational actors must embrace to create a strong trust between the public and their leaders.

This can be achieved through adopting integrity standards for disseminating information, making all necessary documents that provide clear data to the public available, listening to stakeholders with an open ear, and responding quickly and effectively when issues arise. It is when governments recognize these essential principles of transparency that we can begin to move towards restoring the harmony between citizens and government.
 
As world leaders come together for discussions on important global topics such as climate change, migration, and economic prosperity, it is particularly pertinent that states rely on principles of inclusivity and open communication to foster greater trust within their respective societies. By embracing integrity-based practices as a core value of governance policymaking—whether at the local or national level—public administrators can create meaningful pathways for robust economies and democracies.

Krystyna Louise C. Dy is the director of Programs and External Affairs of think tank Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi) and the former Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) president and board member of the Provincial Government of Isabela. She is also a co-convenor of Democracy Watch Philippines, a citizen-led democratic initiative, and a project of ADRi.