Daily Tribune‘We all know that the barangay and its officials are the immediate provider of frontline services to our fellow countrymen. And it is because of this reason that we have to further improve the barangays and address the woes of our barangay officials’
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has filed in the 19th Congress various measures aimed at modernizing the bureaucracy to better respond to the challenges of modern times and improve the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of public services.
Among the measures include Senate Bill No. 194 or the proposed E-Governance Act of 2022, mandating the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network, an internal records management information system, an information database, and digital portals for the delivery of public services.
The measure pushes for the digitization of paper-based and other traditional modes of workflows for a more efficient and transparent public service.
Go said that the public must feel that the government is actually and truly at their fingertips, bringing key government services closer to the people.
He likewise reintroduced in the Upper House SBN 1185 or the proposed Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act of 2022. Go noted that the Commonwealth Act of 1940 which provided the mandate of the BI is "an outdated law passed during the American regime."
While amendments have been introduced over the years, Go explained that the immigration system needs to be updated to reflect the present challenges of modern times.
Under the bill, co-terminous positions are created for the Office of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. New positions will also be created under the Directorate for Planning and Research, and Directorate for Human Resources Management and Development.
New positions
The creation of new positions under the bill, according to Go, could boost the productivity and efficiency of the BI.
Go also reaffirmed the need to empower barangays, as the country's primary unit of governance, by providing barangay officials more opportunities to develop their capabilities as well as provide them regular pay and other benefits.
This prompted him to refile SBN 197 which would provide for a Magna Carta for Barangays.
"We all know that the barangay and its officials are the immediate provider of frontline services to our fellow countrymen. And it is because of this reason that we have to further improve the barangays and address the woes of our barangay officials," he added.
Under SBN 197, barangay officials will be treated as regular government employees. The Punong Barangay, members of the Sangguniang Barangay, the Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson, the barangay secretary and barangay treasurer will be entitled to salaries, emoluments, allowances such as hazard pay, representation and transportation allowance, 13th-month pay and other benefits that regular government employees enjoy.
Go is also pushing for a measure that would provide more resilient, affordable and decent houses to disadvantaged Filipinos across the country.
SBN 426 provides for the National Housing Development, Production and Financing Program which seeks to increase housing production by forging partnerships among relevant stakeholders to address the social housing demands of the Filipino families.
