The Philippines House of Representatives passed a replacement bill with 20 provisions establishing e-government and establishing the Philippine Infrastructure Management Corporation. The legislation was approved by the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, chaired by Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, as a priority measure that would institutionalise the shift to the electronic government in the digital age.
The bill encourages using information and communication technology (ICT) to transform government procedures, operations, and service delivery into more citizen-centric, networked, and transparent governance. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has made it a legislative priority, primarily authored by House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“Government policies must be responsive to the needs of our people rather than burden them with wholly needless limitations. Digitalisation is the most efficient answer to the gap in government service delivery,” Romualdez asserted.
Tiangco clarified that the proposal sought to formulate a comprehensive e-government plan that would produce more valuable and meaningful services through interoperability and maximisation of resources that are part of the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) powers and functions while also minimising corruption through less human assistance in administrative processes.
It would apply to all executive, legislative, and judicial offices, local government units, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations. In addition, as identified in the proposed act, all other functionaries residing in the country and overseas that provide facilities related to business and non-business transactions will also be impacted.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. previously stressed the importance of hastening the country’s digital transition to provide quick, transparent, and efficient services to the public. The government must fully exploit new technology and procedures to give the Filipino people the best services they deserve.
“And if we are to succeed in digitalising our bureaucracy, our government, and making the way that we do business, work, and even communicate with one another as efficient, streamlined, and economical as possible so that we can offer that vital service,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasised.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underlined his goal to make the government “more adaptable to fast-changing trends,” citing the Philippines’ ranking of 89th out of 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Survey.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) initiated a new web service as part of the government’s efforts to digitise government processes. The Finance and Management Service – For Your Information (FMS-FYI) page is a resource site that will be the repository of the department’s finance and management-related resources.
The FMS-FYI, which was created by the DSWD’s Information and Communications Technology Management Service, can be accessed by various stakeholders. They can use the site to assemble information and knowledge assets such as reported news and press releases, copies of speeches and quote cards, a photo and video gallery, official statements, downloadable forms, documents of public offerings, and FMS standards and guidelines.
The DSWD raised the possibility that its personnel and other stakeholders can use the FMS-FYI resource portal to address all DSWD financial challenges efficiently. The DSWD’s response to digitalisation came as it was rated third in the government service category in the “Philippines’ Best Employers 2023” based on a recent study.
The DSWD ranked 54th out of the top 300 best employers in 2023. The study included about 100,000 recommendations from 27 businesses, including government services, aerospace and defence, banking and financial services, education, and health care. The ranking results from an intensive and comprehensive study project included hundreds of evaluations, employee views, and scores from other companies.
The outcome demonstrated the DSWD’s positive relationship with its workers while providing effective social protection packages to its customers and stakeholders – the vulnerable, impoverished, and disadvantaged sectors of society.
