PH withdraws from EITI over 'biased' assessment

The Philippines has withdrawn from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) due to concerns over its "subjective, biased and unfair" assessment process.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III stated in a letter to EITI Chair Helen Clark that the Philippines has no confidence in the EITI's ability to conduct an impartial, transparent, and evidence-based validation.

Dominguez criticized the EITI Board for using irrelevant metrics and unvalidated reports, particularly concerning civic space in the extractives sector.

The EITI board had previously downgraded the Philippines' score to "moderate" in February, citing government constraints on freedom of expression, operation, and association despite high marks in other areas.

The government assures it has systems in place to ensure transparency in the extractives sector and will continue to champion resource and revenue management.