The Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI) joined more than a hundred civil society organizations, Indigenous representatives, and transparency advocates at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Civil Society Regional Convening, held in Manila from October 21–23, 2025.

Organized by the Resource Justice Network in partnership with Bantay Kita – Publish What You Pay Philippines, Transparency International Australia, and the Natural Resource Governance Institute, with support from the World Bank’s Extractives Global Programmatic Support (EGPS), the convening served as a regional platform to amplify civic voices in extractive governance and to build a shared agenda for a just and equitable energy transition.

The three-day event gathered participants from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines, focusing on strengthening civic space, promoting gender-transformative approaches, and deepening accountability across EITI-implementing countries.

During a hybrid plenary on the implementation of the 2023 EITI Standard, PH-EITI National Coordinator Mary Ann D. Rodolfo joined Oliana Valigura-Gjøsæther (EITI International Secretariat) and Aryanto Nugroho (Indonesia EITI) to share practical examples of how transparency mechanisms can serve as bridges between communities and government institutions.

Rodolfo presented “Closing the Loop: How PH-EITI’s Feedback Mechanism Turns Local Grievances into National Reform,” which showcased the Philippines’ pioneering approach to citizen-led reporting, government coordination, and policy reform in the extractive sector.

“We are all here because we believe that transparency must lead to accountability, and that open data should create open dialogue,” Rodolfo said. “That belief lies at the heart of our work in PH-EITI — ensuring that people’s voices, especially from extractive communities, are heard and acted upon.”

She explained that the PH-EITI Feedback Mechanism enables communities to raise concerns about mining and energy operations through multiple channels, online submissions, Facebook Messenger, or in-person consultations, with each report tracked, screened, and referred to the proper agencies such as the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), or Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Citing real cases from the field,  including royalty disputes in Diwalwal, Davao de Oro, illegal exploration in Surigao del Sur, and siltation in Dinagat Islands,  she emphasized how PH-EITI serves as a neutral convener rather than an enforcer.

“Our role is to connect, not to command,” she noted. “By facilitating dialogue among communities, companies, and agencies, we make sure that issues raised are formally recognized, acted upon, and, most importantly, not forgotten.”

Rodolfo underscored that the mechanism’s design, allowing anonymous submissions and multi-platform access, helps protect land defenders and encourages participation from vulnerable sectors. She also credited partners like Bantay Kita for surfacing community issues to the PH-EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) for deliberation and reform.

The Asia-Pacific CSO Convening also tackled topics such as civic space protection, gender inclusion, and anti-corruption in the extractive industries, culminating in the launch of the Resource Justice Network’s Vision 2030 Strategy.

PH-EITI’s participation reaffirmed the Philippines’ leadership in advancing participatory governance under the EITI framework, demonstrating that true transparency begins with listening – and that accountability grows stronger when citizens are part of the conversation.