Group urges government to prioritize digital infra

Democracy Watch, a private advocacy group, calls on the government to speed up delayed digital infrastructure projects to accelerate the shift to e-governance technologies that will ensure transparency, accountability and enhance public services for all Filipinos.

“By fast-tracking our nation's transition to digital environments, the present crisis gives us the opportunity to adopt e-governance,” said Paco Pangalangan, Lead Convenor of Democracy Watch, in a press statement.

Pangalangan said that e-governance would combat corruption by increasing transparency in areas such as procurement, taxation, and customs.

He adds that e-governance can also reduce bribery, and red tape. He emphasized that corruption and loss of institutional integrity affect foreign direct investments and national antiCOVID efforts.

“The government must remove red tape and clunky regulatory barriers and speed up permit issuance. The removal of bureaucratic chokepoints will facilitate the swift development of ICT infrastructure, making e-governance accessible to every Filipino," Pangalangan said.

Besides removing red tape, the national government should also put a premium on public-sector investments in digital infrastructures such as telecommunications towers and free WiFi, especially in underserved areas, according to Pangalangan.

"After all, in our journey into a more democratic, transparent, and accountable normal, no Filipino can be left behind” he added.

In a recent Senate hearing, Senator Grace Poe conducted an inquiry on the state of Internet connectivity in the country.

This is in relation to Senate Bill on Bilis Konek Act mandating a minimum Internet speed in the country, sponsored by Senator Ralph Recto.

Poe emphasized the need for faster and more reliable connectivity for the country as there are 73 million Filipino Internet users and 70 percent of the population are active mobile broadband subscribers.

According to the National Telecommunications Commission, the average fixed broadband speed in the country is 22mbps while in ASEAN the average is 59 mbps.

Poe lamented that the anti-red tape authority and the ease of doing business law has not reduced the six to eight months and 24 to 30 permits required in building more cell towers.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology explained that it will roll out a common tower portal wherein telecom companies simply have to submit necessary documents, and hopes that this will hasten the permitting process and efficiently speed up the building of more cell towers.

This is in line with the recent issuance of the amended guidelines for the building of common cell towers to address the huge backlog caused by bureaucratic delays.