The Marcos administration on Monday vowed to make government services fully digital this year for the public to access and use them more easily.
In a statement, Malacañang said improving bureaucratic efficiency is among President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s socioeconomic agenda in the near term, “putting a premium on digitalizing, harmonizing, and standardizing government data.”
“In 2023, the government shall remain steadfast and continue to pursue streamlining initiatives to ensure the delivery of efficient government services to the people and fight corruption by eradicating all forms of red tape,” the Palace said in its yearend report.
The administration said it would strengthen TradeNet, a one-stop online shop aimed to reduce processing time and harmonize the permitting procedures involved in import and export in the country.
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), with the help of other government agencies, will pursue the National Policy on Regulatory Management System (NPRMS) that provides a common framework for good regulatory practices, and enforcement and compliance strategies, the Palace said.
“The government plans to advance NPRMS components such as the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS) to provide stakeholders and government agencies access to proposed and existing government regulations and avoid overlapping,” it added.
The Marcos Jr. administration would also push the Anti-Red Tape Electronic Management Information System (ARTEMIS) to provide a live database and mapping of government services.
Also included in the effort to digitalize government services are the Department of Trade and Industry’s Green Lane for Strategic Investments system, assisting local government units, and the Philippine Identification System and electronic Business Permits and Licensing Service (eBPLS).
“The administration will also address the fragmentation of the justice system through the implementation of the National Justice Information System and Middleware Exchange Platform,” the Palace said.
Mr. Marcos earlier repeatedly vowed to digitalize government services, as it would help the Philippines move forward in a “post-pandemic world.”
“If we are to survive, and even more so if we are to flourish in the post-pandemic economy, we must digitalize… as quickly as possible,” he said in a speech last December.