Governance advocates urged the government on Monday to develop a digital infrastructure that could deliver of better services, especially in this time of the pandemic.
At a recent virtual roundtable discussion organized by Stratbase ADR Institute and Democracy Watch Philippines, Paco Pangalangan, lead convener of Democracy Watch Philippines, emphasized that a robust digital infrastructure can develop greater transparency, fight corruption, enhance institutional integrity toward greater foreign direct investments and strengthen anti-Covid-19 efforts.
“E-governance can reduce contact points and opportunities for entrenched ‘for the boys’ bribery practices, fixers, and excessive red tape,” Pangalangan said.
E-governance, he pointed out, would also allow the country to harness technology to address issues on transparency and efficiency, notably in the areas of procurement, taxation, and customs.
Furthermore, Pangalangan said the adoption of emerging technologies such as live feeds, blockchain, and cloud-based technologies give civil-society groups and watchdog institutions a platform to virtually “sit-in” during hearings and deliberations, track government transactions and decisions in real-time, and communicate more effectively with the public at large.
“The government must remove red tape and clunky regulatory barriers and speed up permit issuance. The removal of bureaucratic chokepoints will facilitate the swift development of ICT [information communications technology] infrastructure, making E-governance accessible to every Filipino. Besides removing red tape, the national government should also put a premium on public-sector investments in digital infrastructures such as telecommunications towers and free Wi-fi, especially in underserved areas. After all, in our journey into a more democratic, transparent, and accountable normal, no Filipino can be left behind,” Pangalangan said.
As part of boosting transparency, Francisco Magno, trustee and program convener of Stratbase ADR Institute, pointed out the need for open access to reliable public documents and data which requires more budgetary support for building data infrastructure and capacity building in government.
Victor Andres Manhit, president of the ADR Institute, said establishing the foundation of transparency can move forward only with collaboration and a firm commitment to responsiveness and transparency.
“Through responsive and collaborative governance, we would be able to effectively address citizens’ real needs, especially the poor and underrepresented amid the Covid-19 crisis,” Manhit said.
Also in the virtual forum, Ronald Mendoza, dean of the Ateneo School of government, stressed how transparency, accountability, freedom of information, strong democratic governance and the rule of law underpins any well-functioning economy.
For her part, former Ombudsman and Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales said “this pandemic highlights the need for governments to rely on hard science in crafting public policy.”
She stressed the importance of adopting best practices from leading countries and having data and science backed responses.