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SOURCE: Press and Public Affairs Bureau

House passes E-Governance Act for faster services to the public
06 March 2023 05:50:08 PM


THE House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on
Monday night a bill that institutionalizes the government’s shift to
E-Governance for faster and improved delivery of services to the
public.

House Bill (HB) No. 7327 is titled, “An Act 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” received 304 yes votes and 4 negative votes.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the principal author of the
proposed law, said the measure aims to make government services
accessible to the people.

“The bill would 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,” Speaker Romualdez said.

HB No. 7327 is a consolidation of 21 related measures, including the
first proposed E-Governance law filed in the House, HB No. 3, authored
by the Speaker.

His co-authors of the bill are Senior Deputy Majority Leader and
Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos, and Tingog Party-list
Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

The bill 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.”

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.

It shall cover all executive, legislative, judicial, and
constitutional offices, including local government units, state
universities and colleges, government-owned or -controlled
corporations, 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 measure stated.

E-Government refers to the use of ICT by the government to enhance
access to and delivery of services to bring about efficient,
responsive, ethical, accountable, and transparent government.

The bill designates the Department of Information and Communications
Technology (DICT) as the principal implementer of the proposed law.

It 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.

HB No. 7327 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.

The DICT, in coordination with relevant agencies, shall issue
implementing rules and regulations.

The bill creates a joint congressional oversight committee to oversee
the implementation of the proposed law.(END)

 
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