Camarines Sur 5th district Rep. Migz Villafuerte is prodding the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to work immediately with local government units (LGUs) in finally implementing Republic Act (RA) No. 12254 or the E-Governance Act.

Specifically, Villafuerte wants the DICT and LGUs to establish their respective electronic government or e-Gov platforms and then interlink these channels to the national digital network “to speed up the nationwide switch to more efficient and transparent—and even graft-free—transactions with the public".

The Bicolano pointed to the recent release of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of RA No. 12254 as catalyst for this action.

Villafuerte, chairman of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, said this development should clear the path for the DICT to engage local executives right away on developing or improving their e-Government platforms to accelerate our country’s digital transformation and ensure our people’s easy online access to government services.

“LGUs need to be on board the national e-Gov network at the soonest, given that this law’s newly-released IRR requires local governments, along with national government agencies and other state-run institutions, to adopt common digital standards, strengthen cybersecurity measures and re-engineer their processes for government services to be delivered online in a seamless, integrated, graft-free and citizen-centered manner,” he explained.

Villafuerte is a co-author of RA No. 12254, which requires all LGUs to put up their respective Electronic Local Government Unit (eLGU) portals or, in case they are not able to do so, to utilize the eLGU system developed by the DICT and its equivalent programs and systems.

Under the law LGUs that have existing digital portals or local governments that are able to put up their own platforms within a year of RA No.12254’s effectivity are mandated to be immediately connected by the DICT to the national e-Gov network.

The same law states that the eLGU software or equivalent, including its necessary infrastructure, shall likewise be provided by the DICT to the concerned local governments for the effective use of the eLGU system in unserved and underserved municipalities.

Villafuerte said the eLGU system provides for an Online Public Service Portal accessible through the Internet. This shall serve as a help desk where citizens can: (1) request for information and assistance on government frontline services and service procedures; and/or (2) report commendations, appreciation, complaints and feedback.

For purposes of interoperability, interconnection and harmonization, all existing systems or mechanisms, such as the 8888 Citizens' Complaint Center and government social media channels, that are maintained by government agencies and LGUs shall be integrated into the Online Public Service Portal, he said.

And to make sure that the public is served efficiently and expeditiously, he said the law requires all LGUs, along with NG agencies and offices, government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs,) and government financial institutions (GFIs) to cooperate and coordinate with each other and with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to guarantee prompt action on the concerns or complaints sent to the Online Public Service Portal.

RA 12254 also requires all NGAs and LGUs to continuously and consistently enhance their respective websites and establish e-Bulletin Boards for efficient information dissemination. Such online sites must be interactive, well-designed, functional, mobile-friendly and with regular information or content updates.

Villafuerte says the law establishes an e-Government Interoperability Fund (EIF), as a special account in the general fund managed by the DICT for implementing government websites, including the eLGU system.

This special fund shall be sourced from donations and fees as well as Spectrum Users Fees, which now accrue to the Free Public Internet Access Fund (FPIAF) that was put up under RA No.10929, or the "Free Internet Access in Public Places Act.”

The EIF may be funded, too, via grants and loans from development and foreign partners, or through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanisms.