CitizenGuide.ph prioritizes reliable, primary sources when researching government processes.
The purpose of source checking is not simply to attach a government link to the bottom of an article. The source should support the facts that can change what a reader prepares, pays, submits, or expects.
Source hierarchy
When available, we prefer sources in roughly this order:
- the responsible agency’s official transaction portal or service page;
- the agency’s Citizen’s Charter, official forms, memoranda, circulars, and downloadable instructions;
- official agency advisories, press releases, FAQs, directories, and verified announcements;
- applicable laws, regulations, and government publications;
- secondary sources for context when a primary source does not answer the question directly.
What we fact-check
Depending on the transaction, editors may verify eligibility rules, document requirements, fees, payment methods, processing estimates, official URLs, account prerequisites, appointment rules, office or service availability, record-correction procedures, and agency contact paths.
When official sources disagree
Government websites are not always updated at the same time. A portal, Citizen’s Charter, and older advisory can occasionally show different details. When a conflict is material, the guide should avoid presenting uncertain information as settled fact. Readers may be directed to the most current first-party source or advised to confirm with the agency before payment or submission.
Official social-media posts
An official agency social-media account can be useful for urgent announcements, temporary office changes, or rollout notices. For stable procedural information, we prefer a durable agency webpage, form, charter, or portal when one is available.
Secondary sources
Secondary sources can help identify a topic, explain context, or reveal that a process may have changed. They should not be the sole basis for a critical requirement when a primary source can reasonably be checked.
Source links inside guides
Guides should surface the responsible government channel so readers can independently verify time-sensitive details and continue the transaction without relying on CitizenGuide.ph as an intermediary.
Last-verified dates
A last-verified date indicates when key information was reviewed against the sources available to us. It does not mean every sentence on the page was newly issued by the agency on that date, and it cannot guarantee that no change occurred afterward.
Source quality over source count
Ten copied links are not necessarily better than one authoritative document. We prioritize sources that directly support the transaction and help a reader confirm what matters.
