Senator Bong Go on Monday underscored that the government “must always be responsive to the demands of changing times” as he pushed for the passage of the proposed E-Government Act of 2022.

Speaking at the Senate Committee on Science and Technology public hearing on the proposed institutionalization of e-governance, Go lamented that bureaucratic inefficiency was among the persistent problems in the government service “that can only be solved through adopting digitalization measures.”

Hence, Go said the passage of the proposed E-Governance Act of 2022, which he refiled in the 19th Congress, will mandate the government shift from traditional paper-based documentation into digitalization.

“The government must use information and communications technology to better serve its purpose and get closer to the people in an era where practically everything can be done online and through other digital channels,” he stressed.

Go said the establishment of an integrated and interconnected information and resource-sharing and communications network between the national agencies and the local government units will be more efficient in the delivery of basic public services.

The bill seeks the establishment of an internal records management information system and the digitization of paper-based workflows.

“In the end, E-governance will result to better governance, and a government that is more responsive to the needs of our people. The government should always be responsive to the demands of the changing times,” Go said.