Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday, Sept. 11, emphasized the need for the country to develop digital infrastructures to fully leverage e-governance and thrive in the digital age.
In his sponsorship speech for the E-Governance Act (Senate Bill No. 2781), the senator highlighted the potential of modern technology to streamline government services, promote transparency, and improve service delivery.
“Only God knows the limitation of E-governance in the digital age. Halos unlimited ang opportunities dito. Think of it, and it can be done,” Cayetano, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, said during the plenary session.
He explained that embracing digital tools such as e-payment, streamlined processes, and facial recognition could transform the Filipino people’s interaction with the government, making services faster, easier, and more accessible.
He also acknowledged that while digital transition won’t solve all problems, it still offers significant opportunities for the improvement of government services.
“With the available technologies, and with the right people in the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other agencies, magagawa po ito. It will not be a magic bullet, hindi naman po lahat ng problema natin immediately mawawala but it would provide a good platform,” he said.
Drawing from his experience as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Cayetano shared a story involving other foreign ministers who likened the digital infrastructure to physical infrastructure like highways and bridges.
“[They said] it’s the same with the digital age. Hindi mo lang makita y’ung highway, pero kung hindi ibi-build ang structures sa digital age, hindi mo makukuha ang benefits nito,” he said.
Cayetano also stressed the importance of integrating the E-Governance Act with other initiatives, such as the Konektadong Pinoy Act (Senate Bill No. 2699) and cybersecurity measures to protect Filipinos from online scams and fraud.
The senator also said the funds allocated to the DICT, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and other related resources in the General Appropriations Act should be factored into the government’s effort to transition to e-governance.
“Kung ang problema natin ay red tape, corruption, duplication, or human mistakes, mapapabilis, maiiwasan, at masasakop ito sa E-Gov. … Dito sa E-gov ay may solusyon,” he said.
Meanwhile, industry group Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association (PCTA) said the way to bridge the digital divide and empower all Filipinos with connectivity is via the swift passage of the Konektadong Pinoy Act (also known as the proposed Open Access in Data Transmission Act).
The bill, awaiting Senate plenary deliberations, was sponsored by Cayetano on Aug. 5.
Konektadong Pinoy will “allow us, small players, to further invest in infrastructure, especially in underserved areas where various hurdles hinder our efforts,” according to a PCTA statement on its social media page. “Removing these barriers will allow us to accelerate our rollouts and bring more of our countrymen online.”
Internet access remains a challenge in many parts of the country. “Access and internet speed fall sharply in rural regions, leaving many communities disconnected from the online world’s opportunities,” according to a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) published in 2023.
PCTA said the Konektadong Pinoy Act will help bring connectivity nationwide by making it faster and more efficient for Internet Service Providers to deploy digital infrastructure, allowing wider access to radio spectrum needed for wireless Internet, and promoting infrastructure sharing to lower the cost of rolling out networks.
The Konektadong Pinoy bill is co-sponsored by Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, and Pia Cayetano. The measure is among the 28 priority bills in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC)’s Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) targeted to be passed in the 19th Congress.
