BY RAYMOND AFRICA and WENDELL VIGILIA
THE Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday launched the e-Congress (eCongress.gov.ph) website, a digital platform seen to strengthen and streamline the coordination and partnership between both chambers of the legislature.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the creation of the website was based on a concurrent resolution approved by both legislative houses calling for the establishment of an “integrated and secure digital legislative management system.”
The website can be accessed at www.econgress.gov.ph.
“Well, maganda itong e-Congress dahil ngayon imbes na pupunta sa dalawang portals ang ating mga kababayan, pinag-isa na namin siya. We united the websites as e-Congress of the Philippines kung saan lahat ng batas, lahat ng panukala, lahat ng bills na finile ng mga senador, ng mga congressmen, isang website na lang po ang pupuntahan (Well, the e-Congress website is good because instead of going to two portals, we made it as one. We united the website as e-Congress of the Philippines where all laws, proposed measures, bills which were filed by senators and congressmen can be accessed in one website),” Zubiri said during the launching of the digital platform at the National Museum.
Speaker Martin Romualdez said the website is “an integrated and secure digital legislative management system for the Congress of the Philippines.”
Romualdez said the online platform contains digitized copies of bills, resolutions, their current legislative status, and reports on legislative undertakings “to inform the public and encourage citizen participation.”
Zubiri led the Senate contingent during the launching, which included Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva and Senators Sens. Loren Legarda, Joseph Victor Ejercito.
Romualdez was with House majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, and Reps. Tobias Tiangco and Joboy Aquino.
Senate secretary Renato Bantug Jr. and House secretary general Reginald S. Velasco signed the memorandum of agreement for both chambers.
Aside from digitizing legislative support processes, services and records, the website will also serve as a platform for knowledge and for the exchange of information between the two Houses of Congress.
In his message at the event, Romualdez said the integrated digital legislative management system that Congress is establishing will encourage citizen participation in lawmaking, pointing out that President Marcos Jr., in his first State of the Nation Address in July last year, brought up the need to digitize, harmonize and share government records across departments and agencies.
“In response to this call, the House of Representatives, along with the Senate, now jointly establish and maintain an integrated and secure digital legislative management system for the Congress of the Philippines,” Romualdez said.
Zubiri said Congress should adapt to the times, thus the creation of e-Congress.
“We cannot be a Congress that is trapped in amber, archaic and irrelevant. We have to be dynamic, forward-looking and forward-moving. That is the only way we can be genuinely responsive to our people’s needs,” he also said.
Romualdez said the digital platform represents the “synergy” between the Senate and the House in their common aspiration to digitize their processes, services, and records, and share information.
Romualdez said such an effective communications system “not only amplifies the capacity of government organizations, ensures greater transparency, and deters corruption but also serves as a mechanism for public information to promote citizen engagement in policymaking.”
“(The) e-Congress will also provide updates on the status of bills, and resolutions and report legislative undertakings to inform the public and encourage citizen participation,” he said.
“It is our vision to make eCongress a key contributor in modernizing our core legislative processes towards a people-centered legislative governance and in enhancing our adherence to the democratic principles of transparency, accountability, and responsiveness,” he also said.
