Lawmakers champion PBBM’s digitalization vision
TO help President Marcos Jr. realize his vision of achieving increased digitalization and electronically-enhanced governance, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a Palace-backed bill seeking to institutionalize the government’s shift to e-Governance for faster and improved delivery of services to the public.
On a vote of 304-4, congressmen passed in March last year House Bill (HB) No. 7327, or the proposed law “institutionalizing the transition of the government to e-Governance in the digital age, creating for the purpose the Philippine Infostructure Management Corp. and appropriating funds therefor.”
The bill, one of the legislative priorities that the President enumerated in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year, is a consolidation of 21 related measures filed by lawmakers. Its authors include Speaker Martin Romualdez, presidential son Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos of Ilocos Norte and Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, who is the Speaker’s wife, and her fellow Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre.
E-Government refers to the use of ICT (information and communication technology) by the government to enhance access to and delivery of services to bring about efficient, responsive, ethical, accountable, and transparent government.
`The measure aims to make it easier for people to transact with and avail themselves of services from the government through digital platforms.’
HB 7327 is meant to complement the SIM Card Registration Act and the National ID System, and to harmonize digitalization efforts of different government departments and agencies.
It creates the Philippine Infostructure Corp. to manage government ICT assets, including infrastructure, platform, and software. The corporation shall have an authorized capital of P5 billion.
Speaker Romualdez said the measure aims to “make it easier for people to transact with and avail themselves of services from the government through digital platforms.”
“It would make the delivery of services more effective, efficient, and transparent,” he added.
The President, in his last SONA, said digitalization “will support the government’s data-driven and science-based planning and decision-making” to help fight graft and corruption while increasing the government’s efficiency through streamlining.
The President particularly mentioned digitalization “in the areas of government payments, company and business registrations, issuance of permits and licenses, loan applications, and revenue collection.”
HB 7327 seeks to adopt “a policy to create, foster and sustain a digitally empowered and integrated government that provides secure, responsible and transparent citizen-centered services and harnesses the potential of open data for promoting economic growth and a globally competitive Filipino nation.”
COLLABORATION
Among other objectives, it would “promote the use of the internet, information and communications technology (ICT) and emerging technologies within and across government agencies to provide citizen-centric government information and services, and improve the public trust and citizen participation in the government.”
It would also encourage inter-agency collaboration in the delivery of services and in the use of ICT to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of processes.
The bill will cover all Executive, Legislative, Judicial, and constitutional offices, including local government units, state universities and colleges (SUCs), government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and similar state instrumentalities located in the country or abroad.
It would likewise apply to “back-end government operations, within, between, and across agencies, government-to-government transactions, particularly those involving sharing and processing of data and information between and among government agencies for policy, planning and decision-making purposes, and other government operations.”
The bill defines e-Governance as the “application of ICT in establishing interaction between the different levels of government, business and the citizenry.”
It also involves the implementation of internal government operations “meant to simplify and improve both the democratic and business aspects of government,” the bill said.
The bill designates the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as the principal implementer of the proposed law and tasks the DICT to formulate and promote an e-Government Master Plan that will serve as the blueprint for the development and enhancement of all electronic government services processes.
Agency heads are mandated to implement the proposed legislation in coordination with the DICT.
Each agency is directed to appoint a chief information officer who shall ensure that ICT systems are developed, implemented, and compliant with DICT standards and relevant laws, including the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The proposed law mandates that services needed for business and non-business transactions and documents, including permits, licenses, and clearances, shall be made efficient by integrating all agencies involved into one portal, mobile application, or similar platform.
It directs all agencies, including local governments, to continuously improve their websites and to establish an e-bulletin board for information dissemination.
The DICT, in coordination with relevant agencies, shall issue implementing rules and regulations.
The bill also seeks the creation of a joint congressional oversight committee to oversee the implementation of the proposed law.
PROCUREMENT REFORMS
To support the administration’s digitalization efforts, the House also approved last month House Bill No. 9648, or the proposed new Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), which seeks to address gaps in the system of purchasing goods and services.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has said her department supported the bill “to streamline processes through digitalization and innovation by adopting electronic (e)-bidding and by modernizing the centralized procurement system of the Procurement Service (PS)-DBM.”
Also principally authored by the Speaker, the House version of the bill seeks to provide for a “cost-effective, transparent, competitive, streamlined, sustainable, active, and inclusive procurement activities of the government.”
The measure seeks to repeal for such purpose Republic Act No. 9184 or the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”
