'Crowdsourcing' bill allows citizens' online participation in lawmaking

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Teofisto Guingona III has re-filed a bill allowing citizens to participate in the lawmaking process through the use of the internet and information and communication technology.

Guingona filed the Senate Bill No. 73 or the Crowdsourcing Act of 2013, which allows the public to contribute to the formulation, improvement, and creation of laws, through the use of the internet or other information and communications system.

"Crowdsourcing is an expression of the belief that despite our geographical separation, people can still participate in national affairs through the borderless world of the internet," Guingona said in a statement on Thursday.

The proposed law allows people to comment on pending bills through email and the internet. It also allows the public to access copies of bills and measures pending before the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The proposed measure also extends the people's right of participation to include the ability to reach their lawmakers in both Houses even during the period of interpellation and debates.

"Laws are expressions of the people's dreams, goals and vision. Thus, elected legislators do not necessarily have the monopoly of the processes of determining what policies are good for the nation. A wider public participation in the legislative process will ensure that the nation's policies truly reflect the needs of our constituents," the senator said.

Earlier this week, Sen. Mirian Defensor-Santiago filed the Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom (MCPIF), which she claims would be the first first law to be created through"crowdsourcing."

According to the lady senator, a group of concerned netizens composed of software designers, IT specialists, academics, bloggers, engineers, lawyers, human rights advocates, approached her office with a draft of the MCPIF.

She said the group formulated the MCPIF through discussions in an open Facebook group, email, Google Hangout teleconferences, and social media channels like Twitter.

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