WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 4 of EO No. 02, series of 2018 (EO No. 02), the Office of the President (OP) issued a Memorandum circularizing the inventory of exceptions to the right to access information under EO No. 02 (Inventory of Exceptions) on 24 November 2016;

WHEREAS, Section 4 of EO No. 02 directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to update the inventory of Exceptions as the need to do so arises and the OP to accordingly circularize the same;

WHEREAS, Section 1 of Memorandum Circular No. 49, series of 2018, created the Inter-Agency Freedom of Information Exceptions Policy Committee (IA-FOI-EPC), with the DOJ and the OSG as co-chairs, to review the Inventory of Exceptions and periodically update the same to reflect changes in existing laws and jurisprudence; and

WHEREAS, the IA-FOI-EPC, through IA-FOI-EPC Resolution Nos. 2019-001 and 2021-001, proposed updates to the Inventory of Exceptions;

NOW THEREFORE, the attached updated Inventory of Exceptions is hereby circularized for the guidance of all government offices and instrumentalities covered by EO No. 02 and the general public.

The foregoing list of exceptions shall be without prejudice to existing Saws, jurisprudence, rules or regulations authorizing the disclosure of the excepted information upon satisfaction of certain conditions In certain cases, such as the consent of the concerned party or as may be ordered by the courts.

In evaluating requests for information, all heads of offices are enjoined to ensure the meaningful exercise of the public of their right to access to information on public concerns.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 13th day of September in the Year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-One.

 

By authority of the President:       (SGD.) SALVADOR C. MEDIALDEA       Executive Secretary