Rookie congressman Davao Oriental 2nd district Rep. Cheeno Almario has been given a huge task in his fledgling career as a legislator: he is to lead the fine-tuning of the proposed bills on e-government and e-governance--both priority measures of the Marcos administration.
Instead of being intimidated, the House neophyte is handling this duty with great pride.
"Being tasked with such a big responsibility speaks for the ability and reliability of lawmakers of my generation," Almario said in a statement.
Roughly half of the 300-strong House of Representatives in the 19th Congress is composed of either rookie or returning solons.
"This is the future of governance. E-governance will be the heart and blood of the new government. Once enacted, Filipinos will experience the highest level of convenience in their transactions with the government," he said.
Earlier, Almario, a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, was designated as chairman of the technical working group (TWG) that would decide on how best pass the bills in the lower chamber. The TWG had really convened last Nov. 9.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong" Marcos Jr., in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, called on Congress to prioritize the passage of the proposed E-Governance Act and E-Government Act.
The belief in the House is that the twin measures will be merged into one, since they're quite similar.
Almario said the proposed statutes will allow the synergy of data among and between national agencies and local government units, fostering swiftness and efficiencies in their operations.
While admitting that it is a great challenge to legislate a complex and large-scale system still deemed novel by many, Almario said he believes he and the 19th Congress can craft the law to usher in innovations designed to be the enabler and enhancer of current and future government programs.
"As a landmark legislation, this is the next step for an even better government. It is truly an honor to be a member of the 19th Congress, and to chair this technical working group,” added Almario, who recently joined the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD).
Almario's father is his predecessor, Davao Oriental 2nd district Rep. Joel Almario.