DICT: All hands on gov’t digitalization efforts

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) needs all hands on deck in improving governance through digitalization.

The E-Governance Act or House Bill No. 7327, a consolidation of 21 related measures, was highlighted by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as one of his priority measures in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year.

The bill was approved by the House of Representatives on March 6.

Marcos’ marching order was to “accelerate the buildup of digital infrastructure in the country,” so that through information and communications technology, Filipinos have a better and more efficient government that is easier to transact with.

During his presentation at the “A Year After Build Better More” event of the British Chamber of Commerce–Philippines on July 13, DICT chief of staff for the Office of E-Government TR Mon Gutierrez gave an update on the six priority projects of the DICT under e-governance -eLGU, eTravel, eGovPay, eGovCloud, eReport, and eGov PH app.

The eLGU is a one-stop system that combines all local government unit (LGU) services such as business permit licensing, notice of violations, a notification system, community tax, health certificates, local civil registry, business tax, and real property tax.

“Its objective is to provide Filipinos with a comprehensive online platform that serves as a centralized hub for LGU system automation and eservices, offering a diverse array of services. This platform is designed to streamline the process of doing business, ensuring convenience and efficiency,” Gutierrez said.