A House leader said country’s full digital transformation at hand, following the Senate’s approval of its version of the E-Governance bill that mandates the development and interlinking of electronic government or e-government services for more transparent, seamless, efficient and even graft-free official transactions.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said bill mandates all government agencies, along with local government units and government-owned and -controlled corporations, to switch to digital or internet platforms for their delivery of services to the public.
Also included in the planned E-Government network are all judicial and constitutional offices plus state universities and colleges (SUCs).
“The switch to e-Government will spell greater transparency and efficiency in our people’s transactions with the bureaucracy, further improve the ease of doing business that will enhance investor confidence, and cut back on, if not do away altogether, with official corruption,” said Villafuerte.
The Senate approved on third and final reading its counterpart E-Governance measure—Senate Bill 2781—before the 19th Congress took a break on February 8 for the midterm elections in May.
“Now all that needs to be done to link all national government offices, LGUs and GOCCs under an e-Government system is for us in the Senate and the House to come up with a consolidated bill through the bicam (bicameral conference committee) process for later ratification by both chambers when we resume session in June and then submission to Malacañan Palace for President Marcos’s approval and signing into law,” said Villafuerte.
