House Speaker Martin Romualdez has committed to expedite the passage of pro-digitalization measures that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had highlighted in his stint at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
President Marcos is in Davos to showcase the Philippine success story and his government’s aggressive development agenda to attract more foreign investments to the country.
“The House of Representatives remains committed to pass the priority legislations of President Marcos, including measures for digitalization in both government and private transactions that would bolster efficiency, productivity, and security,” Romualdez said in a statement sent to House reporters on Thursday, Jan. 19.
The Leyte 1st district congressman gave these remarks ahead of the resumption of sessions in both the House and the Senate on Monday, Jan. 23.
“Establishment of the framework for digital transformation will undoubtedly help to enhance the prospect of the Philippines as an investment hub that President Marcos has successfully built up in Davos,” he added.
“Upon the resumption of the session, among the top priorities of the House is the passage of the E-Government and E-Governance Act, which would help accelerate our digital transformation to fuel growth momentum,” noted Romualdez.
The twin bills--which were among the priority bills identified by Marcos during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2022--are pending at the House committee level, where they are expected to be consolidated into one, all-encompassing measure.
Philippine Congress (House and Senate) has been on holiday recess since mid-December.
In his opening remarks at the Country Strategy Dialogue on Tuesday, Marcos stressed the importance of digitalization as a key driver for the long-term development and economic transformation of the Philippines to the post-pandemic global economy.
Romualdez is part of the official delegation of the Philippine leader to the WEF. Important leaders from various nations as well as big names in the business world attended the five-day forum, which will end on Jan. 20.