PBBM to local execs: Take advantage of new technology

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday urged the local officials to maximize the use of new technology to ensure efficient and immediate delivery of government services. Speaking before thousands of local officials at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Marcos said local government units (LGUs) must seek innovative and smart solutions to the problems confronting their respective localities. 'Truly, in a time when communities and societies have embraced digitalization, there is no excuse for governments, national or local, to allow themselves to be left behind,' Marcos said during the Local Governance Summit 2024 which was attended by around 3,000 participants. 'It is incumbent upon us to promote these smart solutions, such as innovative technologies and strategies, so we can maximize its advantages, especially in the face of challenges that threaten the overall well-being of our constituents,' he added. Marcos made the call, as he emphasized that LGUs have 'huge' res ponsibility to transform their communities and the lives of their constituents under the banner of a 'Bagong Pilipinas' (New Philippines). He said it is imperative for the local governments to leverage digital methods by utilizing all the latest tools and strategies to explore and improve their daily operations. This, as he stressed that the public need not experience snail-paced transactions with any government offices. 'I think we are all familiar with the delays that sometimes people have to suffer for very simple documentation. Well, I think the digital world is going to provide us the solutions to those problems. And to make us more efficient and so that the process of interchange between our people and the government, both at the local and the national level becomes better, becomes easier, and more efficient,' Marcos said. Marcos assured the local governments of the national government's support for their initiatives and programs, adding that he is targeting the issuance of an executive order (EO) t his year to amend EO 138 issued in 2021, which mandates the full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch to the LGUs. The new EO, he said, would provide 'clearer parameters on the functions, services and facilities that are to be devolved'. 'We have been working on this for a good long while and I think we have found a formula wherein we divide the funding according to the way that we determine services belong to ---as a responsibility to the national government, other services belong to the local government,' Marcos said. 'And in that way, we are able to satisfy the needs as best as we can for both the national government and most importantly for the local government as the Mandanas ruling really directs itself towards the improvement in the local government situation. Once we have clearly defined the parameters of devolution, our LGUs will have greater capability to implement and localize the Sustainable Development Goals,' he added. EO 138 was signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2021 to ensure the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia case and strengthen the autonomy and empowerment of LGUs. Under EO 138, the functions, services and facilities should be fully devolved to the local government no later than the end of 2024. Source: Philippines News Agency