EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session
S.B. No.
SENATE
1793
20 AUG 26 P3--02
r;' 
(P—
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
MANDATING THE FULL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ALL 
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, OFFICERS AND CORPORATIONS, INCLUDING 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Governments are facing increasing expectations to deliver innovative 
and responsive public services effectively and promptly, while dealing with 
strong pressures to consolidate public finances to remain globally competitive 
and to spur growth.1 However, governments have been slow in using digital 
technology to change the way it delivers necessary services to the general 
public. 
"V
In the Philippines, the e-Govemment Master Plan, thru the Medium- 
Term Information Technology Harmonization Initiative (MITHI), and related e- 
Govemment (e-Gov) and Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) 
programs have been launched as early as 2012 by then Information and 
Communication Technology Office of the Department of Science and 
Technology. While e-Gov and iGovPhil programs laid the foundation necessary 
for the Philippines to build its technology capabilities by establishing 
government data centers, installing initial Wi-Fi facilities, providing
1 “OECD Comparative Study: Digital Government Strategies for Transforming Public Services 
in the Welfare Areas”, p. 6, 2016.


government agencies with internet-based shared services,2 the Philippines 
has been very slow in integrating the use of digital technology in its 
modernization efforts to improve the delivery of its services.
The benefits of digitization cannot be overemphasized, especially its 
potential to increase productivity and inclusiveness of service production and 
delivery in public welfare area considering that digitization can be a precursor 
to establishing and maintaining sound fiscal policies in the long run.
Thus, this measure will mandate a time frame for the full digital 
transformation of the government to compel government agencies, offices, 
instrumentalities, corporations and units to adopt a digitization strategy 
aligned with the Philippine Digital Transformation Strategy 2022 of the 
Department of Information and Communication Technology. This includes 
the creation of a Digital Transformation department in every agency and 
office, which will perform functions beyond the current responsibilities of their 
Information, Communications and Technology Department if already existing. 
It will also oblige them to fully provide by 2022 an integrated E-Government 
services by using digital technologies in administrative processes and in 
modernizing the delivery of public services to the public. It likewise imposes 
penalties and liabilities to public officers and employees who continuously 
refuse or unwarrantedly delay the adoption of digitization efforts without any 
justifiable reason, among others.
Accordingly, the passage of this measure is e
2 Philippine Digital Transformation Strategy 2022, Department of Information and 
Communications Technology.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session
1
SENATE
S.B. No. 1793
20 A'JG 26 P 3 ’02
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
MANDATING THE FULL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ALL 
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, OFFICES AND CORPORATIONS, INCLUDING 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Full Digital
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Transformation Act of 2020”.
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy of the State
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to afford efficient and cost-effective public services to citizens and businesses
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in the country. Towards this end, it is necessaiy to employ information
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technologies (IT) in public administration and in the delivery of public
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services, to improve organizational and inter-government coordination thru
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digital transformation of basic services, streamlining and integration of
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workflows and processes and enhancing the government workforce’s
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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capacity. It is likewise
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necessary for the government to effectively manage and secure its data,
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information and transactions with the public, as well as expand


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communication channels for engagement and empowerment of the Filipino
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people.
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SEC. 3. Integrated E-Govemment Services. - All government offices,
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agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations, instrumentalities
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and all local government units are mandated to adopt a digitization strategy
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in accordance with the Philippine Digital Transformation Strategy 2022 and
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to fully-provide integrated E-Govemment services to the public by December
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31, 2022. For this purpose, these offices, agencies and corporations shall -
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(a) immediately take measures to set-up electronic and online systems
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that will make the means of exchanging data and information
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between offices, departments and agencies secure, efficient and
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seamless;
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(b) streamline procedures by adopting automation and digitization of
government services to promote zero-contact policy and to facilitate 
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its efficient delivery in accordance with Republic Act No. 11032 or
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the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service
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Delivery Act of 2018, Republic Act No. 11234 or the Energy Virtual
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One-Stop Shop Act, and other applicable laws;
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(c) build-up its technology capabilities, including the establishment of
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government data centers, data repositories, basic messaging and
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electronic mail facUities, encryption 
systems and cyber-security
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facilities;
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(d) pursuant to and in accordance with Republic Act No. 11055 or the
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Philippine Identification System Act, Republic Act No. 11315 or the
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Community-Based Monitoring Systems Act, and other applicable
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laws, harmonize common data related to persons, transportation,
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business and land; reference data widely used as a standard across
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multiple domains such as those pertaining to industry, occupational
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and commodity classifications, tariff, geographical information; and


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regional and international data standards that are bound to
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unilateral or bilateral treaties or agreements;
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(e) support agency onboarding on open-source systems advocated and
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offered by the Department of Information and Communications
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Technology; and
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(f) invest heavily into developing organizational capability and staff
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competencies that are well-suited to support national digital
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transformation.
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SEC. 4. Creation of Digital Transformation Department. - A Digital
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Transformation Department (DTD) shall be created in every government
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agency, office, corporation, instrumentality, and unit. In case an Information
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& Communications Technology (ICT) Department already exists, the same
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shall be transformed into a DTD. The DTD shall perform the functions of the
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existing ICT Department, if any, of various agencies, offices, corporations,
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instrumentalities, and units, as well as to be primarily tasked to perform the
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following functions and responsibilities:
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a) promote and support the onboarding and training of government
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personnel in using eGov services aligned with the government’s
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digital transformation strategy;
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b) speed up the acquisition and adoption of solutions of the agency,
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office, corporation, instrumentality, or unit, and improving support
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capabilities to other departments;
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c) obtain and monitor networking tools to create channels of
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communication with the general public and secure real-time
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feedback on the relevance and quality of services it provides;
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d) provide a system that will allow and promote coordination among
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various departments to ensure that workflows, responsibilities and
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accountabilities are properly tracked to allow the transacting public
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to know the status of their requests at any given time; and


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e) design service processes and procedures that will promote efficiency
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and sense of expediency in the government.
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SEC. 5. Violations and Persons Liable. - Any person who performs or
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cause the performance of the following acts shall be liable under this Act, in
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addition to violations under other laws, rules and regulations:
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(a) Willful refusal or dela3dng to adopt or use the agency s digitization
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efforts to streamline its procedures, to harmonize its data, and to
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improve its technological capabilities, without any justifiable reason,
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(b) Continuous use of proprietaiy legacy systems that were
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implemented for more than ten (10) years, despite digitization efforts
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of the agency, office, corporation, instrumentality, or unit;
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(c) Continuous refusal to upgrade or update its IT systems for at most
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three (3) years without justifiable cause;
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(d) Fixing and/or collusion with fixers in consideration of economic
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and/or other gain or advantage to delay the implementation of the
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agency’s digitization efforts; or
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(e) Failure to render government services within the prescribed
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processing time on any application or request due to refusal or delay
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in the implementation of the agency’s digitization efforts.
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SEC. 6. Penalties and Liabilities; Administrative Jurisdiction. - Any
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violations of the preceding actions will warrant the following penalties and
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liabilities:
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(a) First offense: administrative liability with sbc (6) months suspension:
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Provided, however, that in the case of fixing and/or collusion with
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fixers under Section 5(d), the penalty and liability under Sec. 6(b) of
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this Act shall apply.
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(b) Second offense: Administrative and criminal liability of dismissal
3Q 
from the service, perpetual disqualification from holding public
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office and forfeiture of retirement benefits and imprisonment of one


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(1) year to six (6) years with a fine of not less than Five hundred 
thousand pesos (P500,000.00) but not more than Two million pesos 
(Php2,000,000.00)
Criminal liability shall also be incurred through the commission of 
bribery, extortion or when violation was done deliberately and maliciously to 
solicit favor in cash or in kind. In such cases, the pertinent provisions of the 
Revised Penal Code and other special laws shall apply.
The administrative jurisdiction on any violation of the provisions of this 
Act shall be vested in either the Civil Service Commission or the Office of the 
Ombudsman as determined by appropriate laws and issuances.
The finding of administrative liability under this Act shall not bar the 
filing of criminal, civil or other related charges under existing laws arising 
from the same act or omission enumerated herein.
SEC. 7. Appropriations. — All national government offices, agencies, 
and instrumentalities, and local government units shall incorporate the 
amount necessary in the implementation of this Act in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. All government-owned and controlled corporations shall 
source the amount necessary for the implementation of this Act from their 
respective corporate funds in the corporate operation budget approved by the 
Department of Budget and Management.
SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. —Within ninety (90) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Information and 
Communication Technology (DICT), in consultation with appropriate 
government agencies and other stakeholders, shall promulgate the necessary
rules and regulations to implement this Act.
The DICT shall implement, oversee, monitor and evaluate compliance 
; by various agencies, offices, instrumentalities, corporations, and units with 
the objectives and provisions of this Act.


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SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the provisions not affected thereby shall remain 
in full force and effect.
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive 
orders, presidential proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof 
contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly.
SEC. 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or at least two (2) national papers of general 
circulation.
Approved,