IN his first sit-down interview with select media networks last month, President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed his intention to pursue the streamlining and digitalization of government processes to make the delivery of government services faster and more efficient. We at the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) are pleased to know that the priorities of the incoming administration are aligned with that of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's.

Now that we are transitioning to a new administration in government, there should be a national program for the unification, harmonization and interoperability of all existing and developed information and communications technology (ICT) solutions and systems from the different government agencies and sectors in the bureaucracy. This is consistent with the push of the incoming administration toward digital transformation and the spirit of national unity. President-elect Marcos mentioned the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), among others, as some of the key agencies in implementing digitalization in the government. There are already existing and ongoing systems and programs that the Duterte administration has already developed and are now being partially or wholly implemented. These ICT programs and projects are good initiatives that may be continued and harmonized for synergistic effectiveness by the incoming Marcos administration.

Following President Duterte's strong push toward streamlining and automation, many government offices and sectors have already initiated their own digitalization programs. However, because of the quick push toward automation, many of these projects and programs were initiated independently and without a whole-of-government view across the different agencies and sectors. These resulted in a fragmented national ICT system which lacks the interoperability and unification across the different agencies or sectors.

A unifying ICT program shall address three levels of harmonization of the existing ICT programs in government, namely policy level, technology level and political/management level. Through this ICT unification program, the goal for digital transformation shall be accelerated. There will be no more need for the new administration to start from scratch in the digitalization of the different sectors. Instead, it can build on and improve available and completed automation projects, or at least those that are already ready for implementation.

The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), introduced under the Duterte administration, is more than just a "super" ID. It allows every Filipino registrant to have a digital identity that contains their basic personal data that can be stored in a single national database. Having this national database is important in pursuing cohesion and accuracy in the many government agencies that would be requiring that information. Coupling the national data storage with an emerging national digital signature technology in the country would be a great combination in the push for digital transformation in the country.

Imagine this, a normal Juan de la Cruz would no longer need to give his data to the government agencies that he deals with but simply needs to grant permission for that agency to access his information in the central database, thus streamlining the entire registration process of an individual person.

In the same way, the country also needs to pursue a data bank for all theoretical personalities, such as corporations, partnerships and the like. This may also be done through the creation of a Philippine Business Data Bank, which is a program that would be developed more quickly with a unifying ICT program. This can be used as an information and data storage that can be harmonized in the national ICT platform. The capturing of data from both natural and theoretical persons is one of the key infrastructure components of an e-governance-centered system.

In line with this, the Philippine Business Data Bank should be developed in connection with Philippine Business Hub (PHB), formerly known as the Central Business Portal, which is the central station for all business-related information and transactions such as securing business permits, licenses and clearances. This is another innovation done during the Duterte administration, which cut the period for registering businesses from 33 days and 13 steps to only seven days and only one step. Since its launch last January, the services of at least 1,662 corporations and government agencies have been integrated into the PBH. In the coming months, ARTA aims to further improve the PBH through its Business Process Mapping (BPM) project that entails mapping all the permits and licenses involved in the entire business cycle and integrating it to the PBH. It envisions a "womb-to-tomb" approach that covers not only permits for starting a business, but also those that concern operating and closing a business.

The idea is all business registrations that will be coming through the PHB would be storing the data of registrant corporations with the Philippine Business Data Bank. The captured information of these registering businesses may now be used by the government in many efficiency measures and data analyses. A business entity registered with the Philippine Business Data Bank should ideally have an easier experience in transacting with various government agencies who would require their business profile and data since these agencies would be granted access to the said database.

It is our hope that the administration of President-elect Marcos will continue developing these digital initiatives and innovating to provide the best possible service to the Filipino people through technological solutions. Now that we are in the homestretch of the current administration, we at ARTA reiterate our commitment in building momentum in the fight against red tape which the next administration can ride on. This is especially true now that it is becoming apparent that the fight against red tape is becoming one of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's legacies to the Filipino people.

The author is the director-general of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA).