Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City
E_DATESeptember 10, 2025 0
20th CONGRESS © TIME 10:32am *

First Regular Session Ke Jonah s
0 Inver:

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 4493

Introduced by REP. JUAN CARLOS “ARJO” C. ATAYDE

AN ACT
MANDATING THE FULL DIGITIZATION OF PERSONNEL RECORDS IN ALL
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OFFICES, CREATING A UNIFIED
GOVERNMENT HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 1, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution provides that public officers and
employees must at all times be accountable to the people,” and that “public office is a public
trust.” Central to this constitutional principle is the duty of the State to ensure that
Personnel systems are efficient, transparent, and protective of both institutional
integrity and the rights of public servants.

In reality, however, government agencies across the Philippines continue to
rely heavily on physical, paper-based human resource (HR) systems. Every
Bovernmentemployee’s 201 file, personal data sheet (PDS), and service record are still
maintained as paper folders—often duplicated across agencies and the Civil Service
Commission (CSC). This outdated approach is not only inefficient, but increasingly
untenable in a digital era.

The World Bank has described the Philippine civil service HR system as
“fragmented” and "manual," noting that “simple processes can take a long time” due
{0 repetitive encoding and the lack of a unified government-wide HR platform.
Personnel transactions such as appointments, promotions, and leave requests are


often delayed—not due to lack of qualification—but due to lost papers, unclear

routing, or duplication of forms across agencies.

Moreover, the risks of this system extend beyond delay. Integrity reviews,
including those conducted in partnership with the Development Academy of the
Philippines, have flagged the “loss or damage of 201 files” as a real administrative
risk. A single lost record can mean weeks or months of reconstitution, with adverse
effects on benefits, clearances, or retirement processing. These vulnerabilities are
magnified during disasters. A 2021 fire at the National Archives office in Manila, while
thankfully not destroying any collections, highlighted the hazard posed by storing

vital records in paper form.

From a public service perspective, the consequences are equally stark.
According to data from the CSC’s Contact Center ng Bayan, the government received
over 212,000 complaints and inquiries in 2021 alone, many relating to delays in civil
service transactions. When an employee's file is misplaced or a request sits untracked

in a paper folder, it fuels red tape, frustration, and even perceptions of corruption.

There is also an environmental cost. Managing HR records for nearly 2 million
government employees entails massive use of paper, ink, and energy. With national
paper consumption exceeding two million tons annually, much of it driven by
government documentation, the ecological impact is significant. The continued use of
paper in a digital era runs counter to green governance goals and imposes
unnecessary operational costs.

Recognizing these challenges, the Civil Service Commission has already
launched a modernization effort with the goal of deploying a digital Human Resource
Information System (HRIS) by 2029. The proposed measure supports and accelerates
this effort by legislating a complete shift to paperless personnel transactions in all
government agencies. Specifically, it prohibits the submission of printed PDS, SALN,

service records, and supporting documents once a secure, DICT-compliant platform
is in place.


This bill draws from global best practices. Countries such as India (e-Office),
South Korea (Electronic Government Act), and the UAE (Bayanati) have successfully
transitioned their government HR operations to secure, interoperable digital
platforms. These systems not only reduce paper waste and delays, but also enhance
data integrity, security, and accountability. The Philippine government must adopt
the same trajectory.

Through this measure, the State affirms its commitment to digital governance,
employee welfare, and environmental stewardship. A fully digitized HR system will
improve service delivery, reduce administrative bottlenecks, safeguard records, and
restore trust in the bureaucracy. This is not merely an innovation; it is a long-overdue
correction to an inefficient, wasteful status quo.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measuye is earnestly sought.

REP. JUAN CARIIQS “ARJO” C. ATAYDE.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

20th CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 4493
ford arena eerie ee

Introduced by REP. JUAN CARLOS “ARJO” C. ATAYDE

AN ACT MANDATING THE FULL DIGITIZATION OF PERSONNEL
RECORDS IN ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OFFICES, CREATING A
UNIFIED GOVERNMENT HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM

AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
2 Congress assembled:
3 SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Government Paperless

4 Personnel System Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — Itis the policy of the State to modernize public
administration through digital transformation. To ensure greater efficiency,
environmental sustainability, data security, and citizen convenience, the State shall

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8 mandate the digitization of all personnel records, forms, and transactions in
9 government offices. The use of paper-based submissions and storage shall be
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eliminated in favor of secure, accessible, and interoperable electronic systems.

"1 SEC. 3. Coverage. — This Act shall apply to all departments, bureaus, offices,
12 agencies, and instrumentalities of the national government, including government-
13 owned or controlled corporations (GOCCS), state universities and colleges (SUCs),
14 and local government units (LGUs).

15 SEC. 4. Paperless Transactions. — All government agencies shall accept,

16 process, and store the following documents exclusively in electronic form:


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.. Personal Data Sheet (PDS) and curriculum vitae;
. Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN);

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Service records, leave applications, and daily time records;

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. Appointment papers, plantilla data, promotion requirements;
.. Civil service eligibility, licensure proof, and training certificates;

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Any supporting documents related to hiring, promotion, reassignment,

retirement, or separation.

SEC. 5. Prohibition Against Physical Submissions. — Upon full
implementation of this Act, no agency shall require printed or hardcopy documents
for personnel-related submissions, except in meritorious cases as defined in the

implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

SEC. 6, Unified Government Human Resource Information System (UG-HRIS).
— The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in
coordination with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Department of Budget and
Management (DBM), shall develop or adopt a Unified Government Human Resource
Information System (UG-HRIS) that will:

1. Serve as the central database for all government personnel;

2. Be interoperable across agencies to enable seamless data access for authorized
users;

3. Allow direct uploading of authenticated digital documents and issuance of
electronic clearances;

4. Incorporate application programming interfaces (APIs) for verification from
the PRC, CSC, GSIS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and similar institutions.

SEC, 7. Authentication and Legal Validity. — All electronically submitted
documents, including e-signed forms, shall have the same legal effect as physical
counterparts, provided they comply with the standards set by the DICT under the
Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI) and applicable laws on
electronic transactions.


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SEC. 8. Transition and Capacity Building. — The CSC, DICT, and DBM shall
implement a phased transition plan within two (2) years from the effectivity of this
Act, prioritizing national government agencies. Training programs and technical
assistance shall be provided to HR offices, especially in LGUs and remote areas.

SEC. 9. Environmental and Safety Compliance. — In line with sustainability

and workplace safety goals:

1. Agencies shall reduce their annual paper consumption by at least 80% within

three (3) years;
2. Digital records shall be stored with appropriate redundancy and security to
prevent data loss;
3, Archival of old physical files shall be subject to digitization schedules and fire

safety protocols.

SEC. 10. Penal Provisions. — After the full implementation period, any official
or agency head who willfully requires physical submission of documents covered
under this Act, without justification, shall be subject to administrative penalties as
prescribed by the CSC.

SEC. 11, Funding. — The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Additional funds may be
sourced from the E-Government Fund or official development assistance (ODA) for

digital governance.

SEC. 12, Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from
the effectivity of this Act, the DICT, CSC, and DBM shall jointly promulgate the
necessary IRR.

SEC. 13. Separability Clause. — If any part or provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected shall continue in
full force and effect.

SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. — All laws, rules, regulations, and issuances
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.


1 SEC. 15. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

2. publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

3 Approved,