Marcos renews call to pass E-governance Act

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos called yesterday for the swift passage of the proposed E-governance Act to allow the country to catch up with other nations in digital economy and to ensure fast, transparent and efficient government service.

Marcos said the country could achieve a digital economy by enhancing its digital infrastructure, improving the regulatory framework for innovation, ensuring cybersecurity and developing the country’s digital workforce.

“We have the tools. We have the knowledge. And most importantly, we have the people. All that is left to do is to have the will and the resolve to achieve it. I, therefore, call on all our fellow servant-leaders in Congress to help accelerate the approval of these bills once again,” the President said in a speech at the National Information and Communications Technology Summit 2022 at the Manila Hotel.

The Chief Executive cited a United Nations E-Government Survey, where the Philippines ranked 89th out of 193 countries.

“That is not an encouraging number,” Marcos said, noting that the survey assesses the digital government landscape across member-states.

“This assessment of our performance is, at the very least, worrying. We experienced actually a regression. In other words, other countries have progressed. We have not progressed quite as much and therefore have fallen down, fallen down the list of e-governance in different member-countries of the UN,” he said.

But Marcos is optimistic rapid digitalization could happen in the country as its ICT professionals are among the best in the field and Filipinos are among the most tech-savvy people in the world.

“There is, essentially, nothing holding us back,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, Marcos also urged the private sector to enter into more partnerships with the government in the area of ICT.

“So, let’s work together to optimize the opportunities provided by ICT for nation-building,” he said.

In his first State of the Nation Address last July, Marcos unveiled his administration’s bid to increase digital connectivity in the Philippines through the “BroadBand ng Masa” project.

“As the world moves into rapid digitalization, the digital divide will be more pronounced. The depth and breadth at which these technologies will be transformative in our lives is fully expected,” Marcos said.

The President said universal connectivity will be a vital component in order to ensure that no citizen is left behind.