Pass the e-governance bills now
February 10, 2023Pass the e-governance bills now
CitizenWatch is calling on legislators to act fast on the e-Government and e-Governance bills pending in both Houses of Congress. The President has given his cue, and now it is the turn of House members and senators to take that cue.
The total digital transformation of national and local bureaucracies will boost the efficient and transparent delivery of government programs and services. These bills will fundamentally change the way public services are delivered to ordinary citizens, big and small businesses, and communities.
The bills have been pending at the committee level since last year. Congressional sessions resumed January 23 of this year. No less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to certifying these bills as urgent. Before the international community in Davos, Switzerland, he also made pronouncements that the Philippines’ recovery and development would hinge on digital evolution.
CitizenWatch believes that the objectives of the bills — interoperability of operations and services, digitization of records and data of agencies, establishment of an online payment system for government transactions, automation of business registration and licensing related transactions as well as payment of taxes and accounting systems – are crucial to the delivery of basic public services and the implementation of much-needed projects that would boost our economy and hence the quality of life of our people,
These bills strike at the core of our nation’s bid to ride the wave of digital technology. They are a tool and an enabler for people and societies to thrive and prosper, and also for our leaders to govern us better.
The proposed measures are also being pushed by the Private Sector Advisory Council, which has made recommendations on the scope and provisions of the bills. The private sector, which has joined the clamor for a long-overdue “update” of the entire bureaucratic system, has the advanced experience and expertise in optimizing digital technologies that will be critical in propelling the economy forward.
Our bureaucracy has been trapped too long in its outdated processes and could use the innovative insights of the business community. We need the e-Governance/e-Government Acts to enable the fast transformation of our government from the slow and obsolete bureaucratic gauntlet of red tape to a digitized system that can deliver public services effectively and swiftly.
After all, no matter how well-conceived government projects are, or how much of the public’s needs are considered in their planning, good intentions are not enough.
If there are no effective processes in place, they will continue to suffer long delays, wastage of resources, and may even fail. We know this too well – we’ve seen this happen because implementing agencies are not enabled with the right digital technologies, connectivity, and skilled workforce.
Finally, a digitally powered ecosystem removes opportunities for corruption. Technology and transparency will replace personal discretion and opacity in the conduct of government functions. E-governance will instill contactless and automatic tracking of all transactions and, when integrated with an operational national ID system, will result in a highly efficient and transparent bureaucracy.
Indeed, only a digitally driven government ecosystem and properly skilled workforce can meet the demands of a fast-innovating digital economy.
We appeal to our lawmakers to act now. So much time has been lost already.