Marcos tells gov't agencies: Digitalize vital services now
Published Jul 24, 2023 01:44 pm
In a bid to promote ease of doing business and combat corruption, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered all government offices to digitalize vital services immediately, saying it is a must that the government embraces digitalization.
*President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)*
Marcos said this during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24. In his speech, the President directed all government offices to digitalize their vital services as he outlined his Administration's achievements and programs aligned with its bid for digital transformation. "Consistent with this transformative policy direction, all government offices must then ensure that their vital services are digitalized immediately," he said. Marcos emphasized that digitalization is already a must today as it will facilitate the ease of doing business and combat graft and corruption. "It is here. It is needed, and it is needed today. Government must fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people, through its vital frontline services and its back-end functions," he said. "Digitalization will support the government's data-driven, science-based planning and decision-making. It is the greatest and most powerful tool, not just to improve ease of doing business, but also against many forms of graft and corruption," he added. The President noted that the digitalization efforts will eventually be integrated into the payment systems in the country, noting that digital payments accounted for 42 percent of the total retail payments made in 2022, whether by businesses or individuals or by the government. "Its high trajectory is now well-positioned to achieve Bangko Sentral's target of 50 percent of total retail payments by this year," he said. The Chief Executive also mentioned the eGov PH app, which is envisioned to integrate all government services into a single and centralized mobile app, for the convenience of the general public. He referred to the National ID system as the core of the digitally transformed network of government services and expressed optimism that this will "fundamentally change the lives of each Filipino." According to Marcos, 87 percent of the population had already registered with the Philippine Identification System. "We are now closer to establishing a complete, accurate, and reliable digital database of our own for the entire population. This has already been integrated into the eGov PH app and can be now accessed by our citizens," he said. Meanwhile, because of system upgrades, President Marcos said the country's internet speed has significantly improved. As of June this year, the fixed broadband speed of the Philippines ranks 47th among 180 countries. This ranking is 11 places higher than it was in 2022. The Philippines' mobile internet speed is now ranked 83 out of 142 countries, eight places higher than the previous year. Aside from this, he directed the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) "to consolidate all these digitalized government services into the eGov PH app, to establish the National Government Portal and the Philippine Business Databank, and to improve the internet speed in our country." Marcos also mentioned an E-Commerce Philippines Roadmap, a policy aiming for Filipinos to have trust and confidence in the country's e-commerce infrastructure and internet capabilities. "With our E-Commerce Roadmap firmly in place, we are poised to take this digitalization drive further and beyond, utilizing e-commerce to take full advantage of new technologies," he said. With increasing digital activities, President Marcos said that the SIM Registration Act, the first Act he signed into law at the start of his Administration, will protect digital users from identity theft, phishing, and other online scams. He also assured that the government is ready to assist individuals whose jobs will be affected in the transition through the various programs of government agencies. "The training necessary to ease the transition of those whose jobs would be affected by the shift to digitalization are also now being included in the curricula and programs offered by TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), DICT, and other agencies of government," he said.
*President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)*
Marcos said this during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24. In his speech, the President directed all government offices to digitalize their vital services as he outlined his Administration's achievements and programs aligned with its bid for digital transformation. "Consistent with this transformative policy direction, all government offices must then ensure that their vital services are digitalized immediately," he said. Marcos emphasized that digitalization is already a must today as it will facilitate the ease of doing business and combat graft and corruption. "It is here. It is needed, and it is needed today. Government must fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people, through its vital frontline services and its back-end functions," he said. "Digitalization will support the government's data-driven, science-based planning and decision-making. It is the greatest and most powerful tool, not just to improve ease of doing business, but also against many forms of graft and corruption," he added. The President noted that the digitalization efforts will eventually be integrated into the payment systems in the country, noting that digital payments accounted for 42 percent of the total retail payments made in 2022, whether by businesses or individuals or by the government. "Its high trajectory is now well-positioned to achieve Bangko Sentral's target of 50 percent of total retail payments by this year," he said. The Chief Executive also mentioned the eGov PH app, which is envisioned to integrate all government services into a single and centralized mobile app, for the convenience of the general public. He referred to the National ID system as the core of the digitally transformed network of government services and expressed optimism that this will "fundamentally change the lives of each Filipino." According to Marcos, 87 percent of the population had already registered with the Philippine Identification System. "We are now closer to establishing a complete, accurate, and reliable digital database of our own for the entire population. This has already been integrated into the eGov PH app and can be now accessed by our citizens," he said. Meanwhile, because of system upgrades, President Marcos said the country's internet speed has significantly improved. As of June this year, the fixed broadband speed of the Philippines ranks 47th among 180 countries. This ranking is 11 places higher than it was in 2022. The Philippines' mobile internet speed is now ranked 83 out of 142 countries, eight places higher than the previous year. Aside from this, he directed the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) "to consolidate all these digitalized government services into the eGov PH app, to establish the National Government Portal and the Philippine Business Databank, and to improve the internet speed in our country." Marcos also mentioned an E-Commerce Philippines Roadmap, a policy aiming for Filipinos to have trust and confidence in the country's e-commerce infrastructure and internet capabilities. "With our E-Commerce Roadmap firmly in place, we are poised to take this digitalization drive further and beyond, utilizing e-commerce to take full advantage of new technologies," he said. With increasing digital activities, President Marcos said that the SIM Registration Act, the first Act he signed into law at the start of his Administration, will protect digital users from identity theft, phishing, and other online scams. He also assured that the government is ready to assist individuals whose jobs will be affected in the transition through the various programs of government agencies. "The training necessary to ease the transition of those whose jobs would be affected by the shift to digitalization are also now being included in the curricula and programs offered by TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), DICT, and other agencies of government," he said.