In a move to step towards the future, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to facilitate the adoption of the e-government system by local government units (LGUs) as part of the government’s digitalization efforts. Here’s the scoop on the latest development.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) reported that the President issued this directive to DICT Secretary Ivan Uy during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang last Tuesday. This instruction focused primarily on the agency’s ongoing projects and cybersecurity concerns.

Marcos was quoted as saying, “Let’s empower our LGUs to embrace the system.” This was after Sec. Uy explained to Marcos that this DICT directive would be a financial win-win situation. Not only would it allow LGUs to save money, but also enhance revenue generation. It would also lead to more streamlined processes as opposed to the “mano-mano” ways of the past.

To keep things safely up-to-date, Marcos also assigned the DICT the responsibility of conducting regular system upgrades. He emphasized the importance of updating the system to meet modern-day standards and to ensure that LGUs are prepared and knowledgeable in its operation. Re-educating the necessary parties on its uses and benefits will allow the system to be maximized to its full potential.

The DICT announced the e-government system in December last year, which also encompasses the e-Gov Super App – a platform designed to facilitate the digitalization of government systems in the Philippines, including LGUs. According to the PCO, the government’s e-Government Priority Projects also include the centralization of government cloud services, the e-Report system for citizens’ feedback and complaints, and the integration of all government services into the e-Gov App, consolidating them on a single platform.

The launch of the e-Gov Super App is scheduled for early next month, as per the PCO.

Initiatives like this could be the reason why the Philippines made significant progress in the global Network Readiness Index last 2022. The country was able to move up to the 71st position out of 131 economies, a notable improvement from its 85th ranking in 2021. This improvement was attributed to factors such as favorable e-commerce legislation, high-tech exports, and exports of information and communication technology services.