President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (File photo / screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA, Philippines — The government has launched the e-Gov Super App, a comprehensive platform to consolidate multiple services, streamline processes, and combat corruption.
The move comes under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who has stressed the importance of e-governance as a means to keep pace with modern advancements.
Corruption out
“There is another part of this that is extremely important, that we sometimes do not talk about, and that is the lessening of corruption. Because you do not have to talk to a person at all for the entire process, wala kang kausap na tao. (You don’t deal with a person), There’s no discretion that’s being exercised at any point. It’s either yes, no, yes, no… it’s binary,” Marcos said during the app unveiling at President Hall in Malacañang on Friday.
“That way, it simplifies the process, especially for the citizens and there is no discretion being exercised by anyone. Eh kung di mo ko lagyan, hindi ko ipapaano ito. Iipitin ko ito, mga ganon. Kausapin mo si ganito, ganyan, siya magaayos, ‘yung fixer niya. Mawawala na ‘yan. (The scenario that if you don’t shell out grease money, your transaction will be stalled, or you need to talk to certain persons who will fix and handle your transaction will be eliminated). We owe that to the people,” he added.
Interconnectivity drive
During the launch, the President said the government must also facilitate the rapid development of the country’s interconnectivity infrastructure and digitalization to boost the economy, saying this is something where the Philippines has fallen behind.
“And…the whole idea of e-governance is something that we need to do because we have fallen behind,” Marcos said, noting that 95 percent of people’s daily activities, such as shopping, bank and government payments, are now online.
“We hope with the beginnings of this e-governance system, that a senior living in an isolated place, an isolated island somewhere who, by the time we will have connectivity, can just go on to their phone (and transact),” he added.
LGUs in the mix
He said launching the app is an extremely important step in digitalizing the bureaucracy that will cover the national and local government units.
He said the good thing is that local governments have already taken the initiative and started to digitalize.
“Now, what we have to do is to consolidate all of those systems in place. Allow them to communicate with each other in a way that is useful for the consumers, for the citizens in terms of, again, the business that has to be conducted with government,” Marcos said.
Government – private sector partnership
He also highlighted the importance of government partnership with the private sector for the successful implementation of the initiative and to ensure cybersecurity.
“And so, this is a very good step, and we will continue to push for this, and we will need not only our government agencies but also the private sector because the private sector also has concerns in this regard, especially when it comes to cybersecurity,” he said.
Through the Super App, Filipinos will be able to access and avail of government services, such as valid personal identification in digital format, essential day-to-day core government services, e-tourism, and e-travel services; e-payments and banking services; and even useful news and information about various subjects.
The eGov PH Super App could also be expanded and improved with version updates in the future.