Senator wants an ICT officer in every local gov't unit

Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara filed a bill that would mandate an Information and Communications Technology Officer (ICTO) in local government units (LGUs) who would lead in the digital transformation of the public sector.

Under Senate Bill 1943 or the Local Information and Communications Technology Officer (ICTO) Act, Angara proposed to have an ICTO for every province, city, and municipality in the Philippines.

The proposal will effectively amend sections of the Local Government Code of 1991, which deals with the officials of municipal, city, and provincial governments.

ICTOs will manage the formulation and execution of digitization plans for processes and public documents in their respective LGUs, and will be tasked to develop, maintain, and supervise all other information and communications technology programs and services of the LGU.

They will also be mandated to collate and disseminate information regarding ICT and the services of the local government to the public.

In the proposed law, the ICTO must be a Filipino citizen of good moral character; must have degrees from recognized colleges and universities in information and communications technology, computer science, computer engineering, data science, electronics and communication engineering, or any related course; and have three to five years of experience.

"Digital transformation, I believe, requires that we rebuild our organization structures work processes, and cultural mindsets," Angara said in an emailed statement.

"Digital services are not add-ons, but rather, they are how our work processes are evolving to fit into the new world. Now is the best time to improve our digital framework for both our government and business sectors, as last year's challenges have given us an opportunity to build anew," he added. — DVM, GMA News