₱12 Billion in 2023 National Budget Allocated for Digital Transformation

The government looks to continue its effort of transforming and digitalizing government processes and transactions. According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the current administration has allotted ₱12 billion for digitalization in the coming year to stay in line with the President’s digitalization transformation plan.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman noted that the 2023 National Budget highlights the significance of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), particularly within the new normal. “For 2023, we have a total budget for ICT and digitalization, 12.47 billion,” added the Budget Secretary. The funds will help boost the capacity of government agencies and their digital channels.

“This is across the national government agencies. And for the 2023 budget, we included a section on digital payments of government financial transactions,” Pangandaman elaborated. “This is related to Executive Order No. 170 signed by then President Duterte – The Adoption of Digital Payments for Government Disbursements and Collections.”

Along with this, the digitalization of government frontline agencies has also been set in motion. “The IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) has been crafted and it’s been prepared by the agencies and now, it’s undergoing consultation. So hopefully, in a few weeks, we’ll have the IRR. And we’ll push for the digitalization.”

The Department of Information and Technology (DICT) collects a significant portion of the total allocation. ₱4.24 billion will go to the DICT for the development of its info structure and ICT systems. On the other hand, ₱3.56 billion will go to the Department of Finance (DOF) to enhance revenue collection. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs will also push their digital transformation forward with ₱3.56 billion in funds.

Several lawmakers have previously discussed how digitalization promises to improve the government’s service delivery to Filipinos. “We will prioritize digitalization and accelerate digitalization transformation… the improvement of revenue collection through digitalization will also be a priority,” affirmed Pangandaman.

Source: Manila Bulletin