Rightsizing the national government and promoting e-governance and digital connectivity across the country were among President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promises in his 2022 SONA. This is still work in progress as the Congress has yet to pass these measures into law.
The Marcos administration failed to reach the target of issuing 92 million national IDs by June 30. As of June 16, the Philippine Statistics Authority said it has issued only 70.23 million physical and electronic national IDs.
In his 2022 SONA, Marcos did not talk about specific means to curb corruption. He has not made comments on corruption issues hounding his administration up until now.
In a July 3 speech, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin “Benjie” Magalong said government officials profit from infrastructure projects as contractors, suppliers, or both. Around 45% of a government project’s budget goes to kickbacks, Magalong elaborated in a July 6 interview on ONE News’ The Chiefs.
Marcos was also mum about the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which was established in 1986 to recover the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth. The PCGG still has 87 pending cases to be resolved in seven years, but there are threats to its existing operation.
The PCGG “disposed” of its office building in 2022 for P800 million, according to the Commission on Audit’s 2022 Annual Report. Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. filed a House bill on Sept. 1, 2022, seeking to abolish the PCGG for “outliving its usefulness.”
VERA Files Fact Check tracks the promises the president made on corruption and good governance in his first SONA last 2022. See how the Marcos administration fared:
Digitize government warehouses and archives and harmonize data inventories across departments and agencies
“The voluminous records stored in the government warehouses and archives have to be digitized. Those that are already stored in various inventories of data should be harmonized and shared across departments and agencies.”
(SONA 2022)
- As of publishing, the DICT’s National Government Data Center (NGDC) program has four active data center facilities, and provides colocation to 26 government agencies.
- The DICT’s GovCloud program, launched in 2018, aims to create integrated cloud services across different government agencies. It currently provides hosting services to 94 government websites.
- However, DICT Undersecretary David Almirol Jr. told the Senate during a budget hearing on Sept. 21, 2022 that the department lacks the manpower and budget to sustain research and development, including on cybersecurity, for e-governance solutions.
Deploy digital connectivity across islands through implementation of National Broadband Plan or ‘Broad Band ng Masa’ program
“I have therefore tasked the DICT to deploy digital connectivity across our various islands. This will be done through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, the common tower program, connecting our Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) via our ‘Broad Band ng Masa’ project.”
(SONA 2022)
- As of June 5, there are 4,757 free Wi-Fi sites across the country’s 17 regions, including 75 provinces and 606 cities and municipalities. This also includes those in geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas such as Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Pag-asa Island.
- In April, an initial 100 gbps link-up between Los Angeles, California and cable landing stations in San Fernando, La Union started phase 1 of the National Fiber Backbone program. This link-up is part of the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure which aims to provide high-speed internet connectivity in northern Luzon and Metro Manila.
Pass the National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP) Act
“A reform mechanism that seeks to enhance the government’s institutional capacity to perform its mandate and to provide better services, while ensuring optimal and efficient use of resources.”
(SONA 2022)
- The National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP) aims to minimize and eliminate redundancies in government processes. It is not yet a law.
- On March 14, the House of Representatives passed the NGRP Act on third reading. Four counterpart measures are pending at the Senate committee level.
Pass the Internet Transaction Act or E-Commerce Law
“Which aims to establish an effective regulation of commercial activities through the internet or electronic means to ensure that consumer rights and data privacy are protected, innovation is encouraged, fair advertising practices and competition are promoted, online transactions are secured, intellectual property rights are protected, and product standards and safety are observed.”
(SONA 2022)
- The Internet Transactions Act aims to regulate online commercial activities to protect data privacy, intellectual property rights and promote fair advertising. It is not yet a law.
- On Dec. 12, 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Internet Transactions Act on third reading.
- A consolidated version of the bill’s counterpart in the Senate is pending second reading. It was certified as urgent by President Marcos in May.
Pass the E-Governance Act
“It promotes the use of internet, intranet and other ICT to provide opportunities for citizens.”
(SONA 2022)
- The E-Governance Act aims to make government services more available and accessible online.
- On March 6, the House of Representatives passed the E-Governance Act on third reading. Seven bills on e-governance are pending at the Senate committee level.
- While the E-Governance Act is not yet a law, the Marcos administration launched in December the e-Gov Super App: an online platform for multiple government services.
Issue 92 million national IDs by the middle of [2023].
“We expect to issue 30-million physical IDs and 20-million digital IDs by the end of this year. The target is to accomplish the issuance of about 92-million IDs by the middle of next year.”
(SONA 2022)
- The Philippine Statistics Authority issued 70.23 million physical and electronic national IDs as of June 16. Of this figure, 33.42 million were physical IDs that have been delivered and 36.8 million were digital IDs.
- A total of 80 million Filipinos have registered for the national ID as of July 12.
Find out how Marcos Jr. fared in other sectors
Sources
Philippine National Police official Facebook page, Flag Raising Ceremony, Awarding of PNP Personnel, and 28th PCR Month (timestamp 39:31), July 3, 2023 ONE News, THE CHIEFS | 07.06.23 | About 45% of gov’t project cost goes to “tongpats”? Magalong tells us how, July 6, 2023 The Official Gazette, Executive Order No. 1, s. 1986, Feb. 28, 1986 House of Representatives Facebook page, 1st Regular Meeting of the Committee on Justice, Aug, 24, 2022 ABS-CBN News, COA: PCGG building ‘disposed’ last year for P800 million, June 13, 2023 Manila Standard, COA flags PCGG on sale of Mandaluyong properties, June 13, 2023 The Philippine Star, PCGG building sold for P800 million – COA, June 16, 2023 Commission on Audit, Presidential Commission on Good Government | Notes to Financial Statements | For the Year Ended December 31, 2022, accessed July 13, 2023 House of Representatives, House Bill No. 4331, Sept. 1, 2022 On digitizing government warehouses
- Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Government Data Center (NGDC), accessed July 5, 2023
- Philippine News Agency, DICT wants to interconnect more gov’t agencies in west Visayas, May 9, 2018
- Senate of the Philippines official YouTube channel, Committee on Finance – Subcommittee “K” (September 20, 2022), accessed July 5, 2023
On continuing the National Broadband Plan
On passing the National Government Rightsizing Program
On passing the Internet Transactions Act
On passing the E-Governance Act
- House of Representatives, House Bill No. 7327, accessed July 3, 2023
- House of Representatives, House passes E-Governance Act for faster services to the public, March 6, 2023
- Senate of the Philippines, 19th Congress Search Result (archived), accessed July 5, 2023
- Philippine News Agency, PBBM to DICT: e-Gov system update vital for LGUs’ convenience
On issuing national IDs
