Poe presses passage of e-governance bill

SEN. Grace Poe pressed on Monday for the timely passage of an awaited remedial legislation aimed at improving “the way government attends to ordinary citizens through efficient e-delivery of services that will do away with long lines or prolonged waiting time.”

Poe pointed out Senate Bill 334 provides that “even at home or at work, our countrymen will be able to apply for claims or loans, pay taxes, renew licenses and engage in related government transactions through their mobile phones or computers.”

Once passed into law, SB 334 to be known as E-government Act of 2022. Poe assured that “Filipinos certainly deserve the convenience of accessing government services and information at their fingertips.”

The senator stressed that putting in place an e-government strategy through seamless interoperability will “help government boost productivity, improve transparency and assure convenience to the public.”

Moreover, Poe’s bill mandates the Department of Information and Communications Technology [DICT] to “establish and promote an e-government master plan that will serve as a framework for the rollout of online services by agencies.”

At the same time, she assured that “the master plan will deal with archives and records management system, online payment system, citizen frontline delivery services, and public finance management and procurement system,” adding that it will be reviewed and revised every three years as the bill provides.

Moreover, SB 334 further provides that the DICT Secretary will head the e-government initiative while each local government unit will have an information officer to supervise the adoption of the master plan and report compliance.

Poe projects that soon as the bill becomes a law, “waiting in line for hours for cash aid, loans, benefits and the like should be a thing of the past.”

“We must spare our people, especially elderlies and persons with disability, from this unacceptable strain in the hands of government,” Poe added.