A priority bill that would institutionalize the government's transition to e-governance in the digital age received a green light from the committee level of the House of Representatives.
The House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, chaired by Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, approved the substitute bill for 20 measures that would establish e-government and the purpose of the Philippine Infostructure Management Corporation during a hearing on Wednesday.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez was the principal author of the proposed measure, which is a legislative priority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Tiangco stated that the proposal aimed to create "an effective e-government plan that would create more valuable and meaningful services through interoperability and maximization of resources that are part of the powers and functions of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)," adding that less human intervention in government transactions would reduce corruption.
The bill encourages the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to transform government processes, operations, and service delivery into more citizen-centric, interconnected, and transparent governance.
According to the proposed Act, it will cover all executive, legislative, and judicial offices, as well as local government units, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and other instrumentalities, whether located in the country or abroad, that provide services for business and nonbusiness-related transactions.
Romualdez stated in House Bill No. 3 that government policies "must be responsive to the needs of our people, rather than burdening them with completely avoidable restrictions."
Marcos previously stressed the importance of hastening the country's digital transformation in order for his administration to provide "fast, transparent, and efficient" services to the public.
He stated that the government must "fully exploit" new technologies and techniques in order to provide the Filipino people with the "best" services they deserve.
The President reiterated his plan to make the government "more adaptable to fast-changing developments," citing the Philippines' ranking of 89th out of 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Survey.
