Question & AnswerQ&A (CID ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS NO. 8)
The basis is Article III, Section 7 of the Philippine Constitution, which recognizes the right of the people to information on matters of public concern.
Requests should be filed with the Records Section.
They are processed strictly on a "first come, first served" basis.
Official requests must be typewritten on the official stationery of the requesting party, while personal requests must be typewritten legibly on a clean sheet of paper. Requests written hurriedly or on bits of paper are not honored.
The request must include the date of the request, name and address of the requestor, name of the person whose records are requested, purpose of the request or specific information sought, and valid identification documents of the person submitting the request.
Requests must include the name of the government official concerned, their office, and office address. The issued certificate is mailed directly to the relevant government office and not released to the requestor.
A stamped envelope with the address of the requestor typed on it (or the government official's address if the certification is for another government office).
They check for completeness of requirements before accepting requests, prepare checklists, process the requests after approval and payment, make a record of the certification, and mail it to the requestor using the stamped envelope provided.
The Office of the Commissioner is responsible for approval of the requests.
Steps 1 to 6 must be done within 15 minutes, and the Office of the Commissioner must act within the same day.
It must state the specific purpose for which it is being issued and avoid general terms like "for whatever purpose it may serve" or "for information purposes."
Upon approval from the Commissioner, the requestor must pay the necessary fees before the request is processed.