Purpose: This study investigates the effectiveness of e-participation in enhancing policy transparency in the Philippines. As digital platforms are increasingly used for public engagement in policy-making, the study seeks to evaluate how these platforms influence government transparency and citizen participation. Subjects and Methods: The research utilized semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, document analysis, and case studies of key initiatives such as Open Data Philippines and E-Participation for Local Government Units. Results: The findings reveal that e-participation platforms have facilitated greater access to government data and increased public engagement; however, they also highlight significant barriers, including the digital divide, low digital literacy, and the lack of institutional responsiveness to citizen feedback. While e-participation has improved transparency in terms of data access, the process remains opaque due to the complexity of data presentation and the lack of mechanisms to integrate public feedback into policy decisions. Conclusions: The study concludes that for e-participation to be truly effective, the government must invest in digital infrastructure, prioritize digital literacy programs, and develop clear processes for incorporating citizen input into policymaking. These findings contribute to the body of knowledge on digital governance and provide recommendations for improving e-participation initiatives in the Philippines and similar developing contexts.
Tan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.