The programs and initiatives towards Digitalization in the Philippines had spanned decades as regards (i) creation and refinement of policies, (ii) alignment of programs and strategies for execution, and (iii) capacity-building for stakeholders and implementers. The compulsion to move it along emerged, or solidified, from a combination and evolution of internal factors (legislation, leadership, and economic goals) and external ones (ASEAN integration, threats of non-receipt of full economic benefit, and the urgent need to manage pandemic effects).
There are several aspects of governance and business which may benefit from the fruition of the One Digitalized Nation dream of the government, to be implemented by the Department of Information and Communication Technology. If we, even briefly, look into few essential fields, we can readily identify the impact and multiplier effect of universal access to digitized platforms in the following fundamental functionalities and services:
1. The “Sharing Economy” in the Philippines.
The Philippines, in 2018, ranked 4th among 60 surveyed countries as regards collaborative use of individually-owned resources. This helps promote growth in the development of such business model for transportation network companies, lodging providers, and food and supplies delivery.
2. E-Education in the Philippines.
Per research by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, “the presence of institutions, organizations, and private business [which] offer training and specialization on technology courses materialized in the Philippines, addressing the delivery of education training”. This has been hastened during the past few years, especially due to the pandemic and the consequent imposition of community quarantines during which remote education and work became the default set up.
Highlight Government Accomplishment: Among the more visible government education programs which helped approximate “universal access” for Filipinos of different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds is the Online Program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, which was launched in 2012 and proved beneficial to students, out-of-school youths, unemployed adults, local and overseas workers, and professionals as well. Such technology-based programs help the education industry prepare for the Digital Economy. There are also the University of the Philippines’ Open University programs which democratized access to higher education to students from all regions and economic strata, even before the pandemic.
3. E-Health in the Philippines.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and its management, multiple stakeholders were able to observe the concrete impact and influence of ICT for the healthcare industry. Even prior to the pandemic, however, ICT had immensely “harnessed information about the latest innovations and technology to unravel treatments and to improve services in providing better patient care”. Also, patients now have better access and more control over the scheduling of appointments, viewing and saving of laboratory test results, payment for hospital bills, ordering and reservation of medicine, implements, and other needs and at a lower cost, sans the transportation and add on costs. Based on the study, this is more evident in areas where internet connection is “highly accessible” and in urban areas, because the health care facilities there have more up-to-date and technology-driven facilities. Meanwhile. “rural areas still [have] insufficient means to address healthcare issues”.
Highlight Government Accomplishment. It is important to highlight the government’s creation of a National Telehealth Center (NTHC) which is mandated “to improve the health of Filipinos in a cost-effective manner through the utilization of ICT”. Meanwhile, the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) was launched as NHTC’s effort to “transform manual and paper-based collection of patient and other health-related information into a systematized electronic medical record repository”. This was observed to have significantly “improved the management of health information and access to [public] health data in geographically isolated areas”.
4. E-Finance in the Philippines.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) allowed local entities to offer electronic banking services,[1] with the pioneer e-wallets having found great success as a result of the government’s heavy work on the regulatory framework, policies, and implementation, in collaboration with the financial services industry.
The support for Digital Finance has been consistent and as a result, banks and non-bank entities aggressively offered e-finance services and e-money applications. The primary priority of government, related to universal access, is to serve and “reach the unbanked and unserved/underserved population”.
Highlight Government Accomplishment. Authors Llanto and Rosellon observed that “collaborative efforts between the BSP and the telecommunication companies [had] remained intact and strong”, which is considered to be one of the success factors in e-money operations.
5. E-Governance in the Philippines.
There has been a noticeable increase in Philippine ranking in terms of ICT in the public arm (i.e.) enhancement of government operations.
Highlight Government Accomplishment. Partnerships between Local Governments and Digital Payment card companies helped expand the use of cashless payment systems in their jurisdiction requiring only the local government Identification Card of stakeholders/clients. There are also “all-in-one” ID cards which can be presented in schools, local enterprises, and for ATM withdrawals. This proves the extensive efforts of the LGUs to improve delivery of basic services and interoperability of offices.
The DICT Leading the way in Bridging the Digital Divide
The Digital Divide as an obstacle to Universal Access: Digital Divide is “the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities.”
The DICT pro-actively takes the lead in the development, alignment, and execution of the E-Government Master Plan (E-GMP) and “strategizes an even more enhanced e-government presence, targeting a reduction of bureaucratic red tape and giving citizens better access to government services”. In particular, the government as a whole aims to implement payroll via e-money or e-banking, digital payment to suppliers of goods and services (to render procurement efficient) and digital payments from the general public, for instance to Local Government Units and National Government Agency branches.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE E-GOVERNMENT MASTER PLAN 2022
Below are some highlights of the E-GMP 2022, culled from the material released by the DICT.
Significant Areas of Concern
- Frontline client services, and Partner Management Systems
- Cybersecurity and Security in Depth Systems
- Financial Management Systems
- Payment Management Systems
- Operations, Performance, & General Administrative and Logistics Management Systems
- Internal Enterprise Network Administration and Identity Management Systems
- Decision Support, Business Intelligence and Analytics
- Data Exchange and Big Data Managements Systems
Objectives
- Optimize Government Operations to provide more efficient platforms & systems.
- Engage Citizens to harness greater connection with and provide venues for participation by citizens.
- Transform Services by streamlining processes and simplifying requirements.
- Empower Government Employees’ capacities to improve their efficiency.
Expected Outcomes
With government digital transformation on its way, the EGMP 2022 is expected to:
1. Bring cohesion to the ICT programs of the government that has historically been developed in silos. Each and every government unit is expected to help produce standard processes.
2. Rationalize all ICT development initiatives across government to converge into a standards-based framework. Relevant to this, the leaders are expected to prioritize policies which enhance the “executability” of the master plan as laid out by DICT and the executive.
3. Promote opportunities for acculturation and mindset formation to affect the way people in government think and how they view their services. The intended outcome is a “central culture of learning” and continuous improvement in government services delivery.
To align these government goals and help address gaps, stakeholders also pitched these concrete recommendations for continued growth of digital finance in the Philippines: (i) Strengthen the participation of the private sector; (ii) Empower collaborations among government agencies; and, (iii) Institutionalize the national ID system.
Sources & Reference:
i. DICT Master Plan 2022 (Overview of the E-Government Master Plan), p. 5
ii.Quimba, Francis Mark A., & Calizo, Jr. Sylwin C. (2018). Going Digital: From innovation to inclusion growth in the Philippines (No.2018-19). Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Discussion Paper Series No. 2018-19.
iii. Valencia, R., The rise of collaborative economy in the Philippines. PIDS Economic Issue of the Day Series 17, April 12, 2018
iv. Lopez, M. E-Money transactions hit all-time high in 2016. 2017
v. What determines financial inclusion in the Philippines? Evidence from a national baseline survey. PIDS Discussion Paper Series No. 2017-38, as cited by Quimba and Calizo in Footnote No. 4 of their paper
vi. E-Government Master Plan 2022
*The foregoing memorandum/updates have been prepared for general information purposes only. The information presented should not be construed to create or constitute an attorney-client relationship, not intended as a solicitation, is not intended to convey or constitute legal advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney. You should not act upon any such information without first seeking qualified professional counsel on your specific matter. We shall update you from time to time. Stay safe, everyone.
**Authored and researched by Atty. Kristine Dacuyan-Eugenio, a Senior Lawyer at ACUBELAW specializing in the field of Government Compliance and Policies, Corporate Law, Special Projects, Labor Law, and Technology Law, among others.
