Speaker says passage of digitalization measures among House top priorities

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during his first State of the Nation Address in July 2022, bares his administration’s plan to help the country navigate through an economic crisis and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (top left) and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez have committed to supporting Mr. Marcos’ legislative agenda. INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will bump up in its agenda the passage of measures that would boost digitalization in the country, said Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Romualdez made this commitment on Thursday, noting that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. spotlighted  at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the role of digitalization “as a key driver for the long-term development and economic transformation of the Philippines to the post-pandemic global economy.”

READ: At WEF, Marcos vows to address slow PH internet, boost cybersecurity 

“The House of Representatives remains committed to passing the priority legislations of President Marcos, including measures for digitalization in both government and private transactions that would bolster efficiency, productivity, and security,” he said in a statement.

According to Romualdez, establishing a route for digital transformation “will undoubtedly help to enhance the prospect of the Philippines as an investment hub that President Marcos has successfully built up in Davos.”

Among the bills that would be a top priority of the House upon its resumption on Monday is the E-Government and E-Governance Act which, he noted, “would help accelerate our digital transformation to fuel growth momentum.”

Romualdez, also Marcos’ first cousin, is among the official delegation of Marcos to the WEF.

He pointed out that while the House had been able “to pass pro-people measures,” including the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund bill and the P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023, it will “work equally hard for the passage of the remaining priority bills of President Marcos.”

Aside from the E-Government and E-Governance Act, Marcos’ priority bills, which are part of the Common Legislative Agenda of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, are the following:

1. Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry
2. Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act
3. Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension
4. National Land Use Act
5. National Defense Act
6. National Government Rightsizing Program
7. Budget Modernization Bill
8. Department of Water Resources
9. Establishing the Negros Island Region
10. Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers
11. Establishment of Regional Specialty Hospitals

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JPV