Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ 
Introduced by Representative Michael L. Romero 
 EXPLANATORY NOTE
In recent years, the Republic of the Philippines has become one of the fastest 
growing economies in the region. Fueled by an increase in public spending, fiscal 
reform and renewed investor confidence, the country is now considered a 
regional showcase for socioeconomic progress. It has adopted a viewpoint of 
inclusive growth under the “Build Build Build” program which equates good 
economics with good governance. This emphasizes governance as an ingredient 
in achieving national growth. 
Still, the Philippines is now faced with the challenge of sustaining its impressive 
growth. This places a demand on government to provide an environment that 
ensures openness, efficiency in the delivery of services, and spaces for greater 
competitiveness. With this demand, together with increased expectations, 
requires 
the 
government 
to 
optimize 
the 
role 
of 
Information 
and 
Communications Technology (ICT) in governance. 
This House Bill seeks to create an E-Governance master plan, to move on from 
the non-integrated path of ICT development and agency-specific applications, 
toward a path that leads to an E-Government model that creates more valuable 
and meaningful services through interoperability and maximization of resources. 
Thus, the early passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 
MICHAEL L. ROMERO 
August 2, 2021
10:05 am
9911


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ 
Introduced by Representative Michael L. Romero 
    AN ACT 
CREATING A COMPREHENSIVE E-GOVERNANCE MASTER PLAN, 
TO FOSTER THE TRANSITION OF GOVERNMENT PROCESSES TO 
THE DIGITAL AGE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 
1. 
SHORT TITLE – This Act shall be known as the “E-
Governance Master Plan of 2021.” 
SECTION 
2. 
DECLARATION OF POLICY – It shall hereby be a 
declared policy of the state to establish a blueprint for the integration of ICTs for 
the whole of government. 
The State shall base on past plans while incorporating current aspirations 
to create a vision for the future. 
The State shall realize that the issue of interoperability and harmonization 
is not solely a technical problem, but also includes many organizational concerns 
that need to be overcome. 
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The State shall develop a master plan to determine the systems of 
governance among all institutions, agencies, processes, resources and policies 
that need to be strengthened to make its implementation possible and 
sustainable.  
SECTION 
3. 
E-GOVERNANCE MASTER PLAN – There shall hereby 
be created a E-Governance Act, based on an assessment study on E-
Government development conducted in previous years since 2012.  
It is highly recommended that the activities that must be undertaken to 
achieve the ICT goals of the Philippines shall include the assessment of the 
current ICT/E-Government state of the Philippines, therefor, Benchmarking 
techniques to be used to create a Model that fits the Philippine context. 
The State shall act with the intent to operationalize the E-Government 
thrust of the existing Philippine Digital Strategy, the E-Government shall 
acknowledge the important role that ICT plays in facilitating open and 
transparent government and the delivery of efficient public services.  
In general, the E-Governance Master Plan shall provide the E-Government 
builders and partners with the following: 
i. 
Strategy for Implementing e-Government - The E-Government 
master plan shall adopt a whole-of-government approach that 
supports the Philippine Development Plan. As the E-Government 
implementation strategy, the Medium-Term ICT Harmonization 
Initiative places a premium on government interoperability, 
collaboration and shared resources. This focus highlights the need 
to develop basic national electronic registries that will be used to 
support interoperability efforts. While placing a premium on 
interoperability, it does not exclude mission-critical, agency-specific 
applications to further improve the delivery of services. 
 
ii. 
Priority Projects, Milestones, Resource Estimates - The E-
Government master plan shall present building blocks for e-
Government that include an initial list of priority projects to enable 
and facilitate many other projects. It is primarily aimed at 


maximizing the use of ICT resources through shared ICT 
infrastructure and services for government agencies. The E-
Government Master Plan shall also provide an incipient “Action 
Plan” in the form of indicative milestones and estimates for 
resources needed for implementation. 
 
iii. 
Mechanisms - Consistent with the “Build Build Build” program, 
the E-Government Master Plan shall highlight the importance of 
collaboration, interoperability, shared services, and openness. It 
shall include the list of proposed policies and mechanisms for 
creating and ensuring an environment that institutionalizes open 
government. Government interoperability frameworks (GIFs) and 
similar mechanisms that shall be crucial to the e-Governance 
agenda. 
 
SECTION 
4. 
MISSION AND VISION – The E-Government in the 
Philippines is envisioned to create “a digitally empowered and integrated 
government that provides responsive and transparent online citizen-centered 
services for a globally competitive Filipino nation.” 
To achieve this, the E-Government Master Plan aims to provide E-
Government the following: 
• 
For citizens, shall link e-Government programs with development 
goals. Recognizing the importance of efficient delivery of public 
services, the plan identifies implementation areas that can ensure 
maximum benefits for citizens. 
• 
For government, shall provide the blueprint for implementing e-
Government initiatives. The plan places a premium on value-adding, 
shared services, interoperability and the maximization of public 
resources. It also provides a platform for open government, mindful 
of anchoring its initiatives on principles of good governance. 
• 
For civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, and 
other partners, this shall provide spaces for participation and fosters 
synergy in governance. The plan highlights the importance of 
accountability and recognizes the role of CSOs as partners in 
governance. 
• 
For policy makers, shall identify the policy and advocacy areas that 
need to be addressed in creating an environment necessary for 
fostering an integrated, interoperable and harmonized system of e-
Governance.  


• 
Furthermore, given the speed by which ICTs and their usage evolve, 
this shall also underscore the need for institutionalizing dedicated 
resources for research not only in the creation of applications, but 
also in studying the implications these may have on governance 
policies in general. 
 
SECTION 
5. 
TRANSITORY 
PROVISION – 
Existing 
industries, 
businesses and offices affected by the implementation of this Act shall be given 
six (6) months transitory period from the effectivity of the IRR or such other 
period as may be determined, to comply with the requirements of this Act. 
SECTION 
6. 
IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS. – The 
departments and agencies charged with carrying out the provisions of this Act 
shall, within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act, formulate the 
necessary rules and regulations for its effective implementation. 
SECTION 
7. 
REPEALING CLAUSE. – All laws, decrees, executive 
orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 
8. 
SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. – If, for any reason, any 
section or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, the other 
sections or provisions hereof shall not be affected thereby. 
SECTION 
9. 
EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. – This Act shall take effect 
after fifteen (15) days from its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two 
(2) national newspapers of general circulation whichever comes earlier. 
 
Approved,