A Gradual Process
A Gradual Process
Published: October 27, 2023
After finding several relevant
documents, datasets, and people sources, our group and I decided to look for
the contacts of the individuals involved in the Philippine General Hospital
(PGH) Diliman project. We assigned each other an authority to profile by
searching the Internet for pertinent information about them. Such knowledge we
discovered through official websites includes their brief educational
background, past positions in their respective departments, assignments,
affiliations, and controversies. When we accomplished our profiling, we moved
on by inserting documents, datasets, and people we may require to analyze,
evaluate, or interview to prove or disprove our hypothesis throughout the
investigative process.
I found profiling officials as
something that can lead to questions, leads, or breakthroughs. One may tend to
assume that the individual you are looking into may have associations or
knowledge with a particular project. When I was writing about the incumbent
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary for NCR and
Regions III to VIII Roberto R. Bernardo, I saw myself wondering about their
environmental considerations in building projects such as the Metro-Cebu
Expressway. Undergoing and overseeing such work, one must remove land for new
roads. Such a project may bring convenience for commuters. I then pondered Mr.
Bernardo and the DPWH’s rationale and environmental considerations for the PGH
Diliman project since they will build it at the UP Pook Arboretum – one of the
last natural forests in Quezon City.
When I finished Mr. Bernardo’s
profile, I started sending inquiries to his email last October 17, 2023. Also,
I decided to send an email to the NCR Regional Director Loreta Malaluan and
Assistant Regional Director Joel Limpengco on the same day. After four days of
no response, I inquired with the Philippine Public-Private Partnership Center
about documents or datasets regarding the PGH Diliman on October 21, 2023. They
responded on the same day by addressing my inquiry soon. On October 25, 2023,
the DPWH NCR Regional Director Loreta Malaluan finally answered my email that
they sent my concerns to their Planning and Design Division. After several days
of waiting, I realized that making significant progress is difficult. One must
file a request or inquiry early to government officials since it may take five
to fifteen working days before getting a response. Furthermore, I learned from
our recent discussion in class that sometimes one has to send follow-ups to get
a reply – which I did, sending two follow-ups before getting a response from
Ms. Malaluan. However, I also realized that sometimes one must look into other
resources or people should the initial prospects not give any answers.
After profiling, I found that analyzing, evaluating, and gathering possible documents, datasets, and interviewees to prove or disprove our hypothesis was a rigorous and nerve-wracking process. Not everything will go according to plan. I then keep in mind to be prepared to adapt and potentially change our initial hypothesis throughout the investigative process. Moreover, I am thankful to find available documents or data online as it is convenient. When relevant files are unavailable online, we resorted to using the Philippine government’s eFOI portal to retrieve relevant documents and datasets. One of our groupmates, Glecelyn, filed two eFOI requests last October 23, 2023 – the respective departments acknowledged the requests the day after. Although the departments immediately recognized our inquiries, it may take weeks before we receive our desired files. In my last experience with a group using the eFOI portal, it took us one month (October to November) to receive our approved files from the Department of Transportation.
Ultimately, sending inquiries and requests can be a gradual process. I find waiting around for replies something that brings a slow progression throughout the investigative process but can be fulfilling once we receive a response. It is then essential to plan early upon gathering all the potential sources, datasets, and documents to avoid delays in the investigation. Moreover, one must always prepare to adapt and overcome throughout the investigative process.
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