The Department of Finance (DOF) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) last 17 November 2014, allowing both parties to institutionalize data sharing and information exchange. As part of this undertaking, the SEC will share electronic copies of all basic company information and financial data contained in the General Information Sheets (GIS), as well as all financial data contained in the General Form for Financial Statements (GFFS), the Special Form for Financial Statements (SFFS), and the Audited Financial Statements (AFS).
The DOF intends to utilize available data for its internal use in order to enhance policy formulation, research, risk analysis and audit profiling of businesses. Before signing the agreement, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said, “We fully believe in using every tool and resource available in this digital age to enhance our government’s capacity to serve the Filipino people. Instant access to and effective management of information is critical to DOF’s mission to enable the country to stand on a stronger fiscal position, if only to use these resources to empower the least in our society to stand on their own as well.”
Effective starting this month, the agreement is expected to boost DOF knowledge management capacity, using data and information already available to the SEC for more responsive and effective policy development. The agreement also called for the procurement of a data processing service provider, as well as the copying and consolidation of up to 70,000 electronic submissions in 60 working days. SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa said, “We are delighted that information available to SEC can support the Department of Finance in carrying out their mandates and our shared responsibility to build a stronger, more resilient economy under a good governance framework.”
The SEC has jurisdiction and supervision over all corporations, partnerships, or associations which are the grantees of primary franchises, licenses, or permits issued by the Philippine Government. SEC is the repository of general registration information, of audited financial statements (AFS), other periodic and/or event-driven reports and disclosures required under the SRC, CCP, and other SEC-administered laws and regulations, such as general information sheets (GIS), and the general form for financial statements (GFFS)/special form for financial statements (SFFS).
This joint undertaking of the SEC and DOF is supported by the USAID-funded project Facilitating Public Investment (FPI). FPI is working to facilitate the expansion of the “fiscal space” for public and private investment in the Philippines through higher tax revenue and public expenditure reforms. The SEC is under the administrative supervision of the DOF under Executive Order (EO) No. 37 dated 19 April 2011.
