FOR A mover of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry development in the country, the signing of the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018 is a big win for all eGovernance (eGov) advocates, especially in the local government unit (LGU) level.
Lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, vice president and trustee of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), told SunStar Bacolod that they salute policymakers for institutionalizing their aspirations as eGov advocates.
Batapa-Sigue, who was also the proponent of eGov Awards, said all ICT council-members of the NICP are happy for this development.
"I salute all LGUs who are winners of our annual eGov Awards since they have a head start," she said, adding that the recognition which started in 2012 will now be Digital Cities Awards.
On May 29, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11032 in the bid to correct red tape continuously hounding government institutions.
The law, which amends and expands Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, mandates government agencies to process simple transactions within three days, complex transactions within seven days, and highly-technical transactions within 20 days.
Republic Act 11032 also seeks to limit the number of signatories for applications for licenses, clearances, permits, certifications, and authorizations to a maximum of three.
Under which, electronic signatures shall also be recognized and a zero-contact policy shall be implemented to avoid improprieties.
It also mandates local governments to automate their business permit and licensing systems, set up one-stop business facilitation services, and use online unified business application forms.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is tasked to automate business-related transactions through web-based software and technological platforms.
Batapa-Sigue was part of the technical working group (TWG) of the Senate version of the then proposed bill.
"We are proud to say that the NICP is part of the TWG of the Committee on Trade chaired by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who pushed for the passage of the Senate version," Batapa-Sigue said.
"We have presented our eGov examples during the Senate hearing and submitted our position paper."
Batapa-Sigue, also the current executive director of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for ICT (Bnefit), cited some of the provisions of the law aligned with the suggestions submitted by the NICP in its position paper in 2016.
The confederation pointed out that business permit application is whole-year-round. LGU has an option to file in January or on its "anniversary date."
If issuing agency does not act on new permit application with complete requirements, it is deemed approved. In the case of renewal, it is deemed extended
LGUs need to do ICT training to capacitate them, it added.
Batapa-Sigue said these provisions will create a great impact on improving the business ecosystem of the LGUs.
"It will cut red tape and bad politics," she said, adding that "it is revolutionary and will force LGUs to automate."
Also, ideally, it is the position of the NICP that an LGU should have a fully functional and institutionalized IT department.
Aside from maintaining the LGU website, its function would include the development and maintenance of software applications and systems.
This is in collaboration with schools and IT associations to speed up transactions and improve delivery of public services, it added.
Moreover, the law is also seen to improve the competitiveness of the country.
But in order to do this, Batapa-Sigue said all LGUs must invest in digital systems and human resource training.
She pointed out that the cost of IT systems or software applications is no longer an excuse for any LGU since the law direct agencies to develop the development of digital platforms to implement the law.
"What the LGU should do is to conduct an inventory and assessment of their current ordinances and the composition of their IT departments to determine the necessary and immediate strategies that need to be in place," she added.
Meanwhile, the NICP official believes that it is good that RA 11032 came to fruition just a few months before the next local election.
This becomes a test as to how fast and agile local public officials can be in terms of complying with the law that is actually long overdue, Batapa-Sigue said.
"In the case of Bacolod City, it is time to get really serious," she said, adding that Bnefit will try its best to help.