A Bicol region lawmaker on Saturday urged Congress to hasten the passage of a bill on the country’s digital switch to speed up economic recovery.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte issued the call in light of President Duterte’s recent issuance of Executive Order No. 166 embodying a 10-point agenda for economic recovery during the remaining months of his administration.
Villafuerte said he has three pending bills on institutionalizing the Bangko sa Baryo, e-governance and digital education, adding that the measures if enacted could help the country sustain its economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Villafuerte said Congress should prioritize digitalization in the remaining session weeks of the 18th Congress, “more so now when one of the 10 items on EO 166’s agenda for economic recovery is to accelerate digital transformation through legislative measures.”
“I call on my colleagues in both chambers of the 18th Congress to support EO 166 by giving top priority to these three measures that aim to close the digital divide by transforming the way we transact and do business at the grassroots level, and to provide fast and reliable services to our people,” Villafuerte said.
His three pending proposed laws were House Bill 6924 (Bangko sa Baryo Act), 1248 (e-governance law) and 7189 (Outside Class Learning and Digital Education Act).
He said the Philippines needed to accelerate its digital shift, especially with the predominance of online transactions and electronic payments, as well as the use of the internet to access information.