Editorial

Governance and technology

At the height of Covid-19 pandemic, institutions have responded to the need for physical distancing, constant disinfection of highly exposed areas, and the implementation of a skeleton workforce. Given all these, the operations in government agencies have slowed down, limiting the admission of people and their transactions to inhibit the spread of coronavirus disease. The current situation has pushed for a shift to online engagements through the intensified use of social media and other platforms for communication (Gmail, Zoom, Discord, etc.) in announcements, meetings, socialization, information dissemination, and interaction. The current situation also paved way for the utilization of technology in governance which was maximized by the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

According to lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM minister of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), the said government will switch office transactions to digital to reduce the face-to-face proceedings which was inspired by the success achieved by Bangladesh in its adaptation of e-governance. The pilot testing of the implementation was started by BARMM-MILG which was reinforced by a three-day seminar-workshop in e-governance in Davao city that commenced on December 3.

Though the Philippine government has already utilized digital technology in its government transactions, the move of BARMM to make it a priority amidst pandemic is a call to better the current bureaucratic operations on its websites. Apart from following health protocols, the use of technology can potentially reduce the digital divide. According to an article by Andreea Stoiciu, coordinator of UN/WSIS subgroup "e-Government for Sustainable Development" and executive director of the Institute for Management and Sustainable Development, Romania, to achieve an all-inclusive “Information Society”, efforts must be done to fill in the gap in “imbalances in terms of access to Internet infrastructure, information and knowledge, and equality of opportunity depending on income, race, ethnicity, gender or other similar criteria.” This can be done through proactive initiatives such as the development of e-government tools in order to “enhance e-readiness, encourage and educate the usage of ICT, and support the development of ICT skills in a non-discriminative manner.” This only means that all constituents must be able to use the provided technology in government platforms regardless of educational attainment and economic status.

World Bank is also optimistic in the shift to e-governance of governments to better the delivery of public services to people, enhancement of business and industry collaborations, achievement of citizen empowerment through access to information, or more effective governance. Not only that it is cost efficient in the long run, e-governance also promotes transparency and strengthens accountability since the data from transactions, meetings and conferences, procurement of public facilities, bidding results, and others, are reflected on accessible and updated government websites. 

With the use of digital technology, the BARMM government can enhance its governmental service delivery, maintain public trust, increase citizen participation, decrease fraud, and improve cost efficiency. But such ideal governance can only be achieved if mechanisms are people-centered. Without enough knowledge and tools to be used by constituents, the shift to e-governance is another waste of resources.