If you’ve ever had to deal with any government service in the Philippines, then you’ll agree that nine times out of ten, the process could be improved. This is a damning indication of how inefficient they are, which inevitably becomes a burden on the taxpayer and plays into the hands of corrupt officials. However, it is not all doom and gloom – the current administration has invested heavily in making some improvements across the board, digitalising many processes and therefore reducing inefficiencies and the potential for corruption, although there is still a very long way to go to get to at least Western standards. There are a few obvious ways that the government could help move themselves and their people into the 21st century, and we shall look at a few below.
Digitalise all their services
If you have ever stood in line in any government office you, like everyone else, were probably screaming inside wishing there was an option that would allow you to make that application, submit information, or pay a fine, online. Instead you were probably seen by at least five different people, when one would have been more than enough, considering it could probably be done seamlessly online without the need for any human interaction. At the very least implementing a visitor management system in their buildings to ensure that no unscrupulous people (and oh are there many of them) can enter.
Also, by offering online options for services, the government would be able to keep a solid paper trail of all communications and transactions for future reference – extremely useful for analysing data and making important decisions on.
Federalism
The way the country is laid out geographically means that although regions are proudly Filipino, they still consider themselves very independent, especially from the capital city, Manila. Unfortunately, being the centre of every government office in the Philippines, funding and power is closely tied to this region, even though the majority of funds are raised outside of this area. This has created much frustration everywhere else that doesn’t see as much funding as the capital. A move to federalism would allow each region to raise and spend their own taxes, and while this would not be perfect (especially for the poorest regions), there would be a much more even distribution of funds, and motivation for each region to collect taxes.
Encourage more investment in public transport
The traffic in Manila is horrendous, to say the least, and is constantly ranked amongst the worst in the world. This is not helped by the ease by which people can purchase vehicles, substandard driving, lack of parking, and a grossly inefficient public transport system. By encouraging more investment in public transport infrastructure, there will be more reason for people to choose the bus or train over a personal vehicle, and therefore improve the traffic conditions that a study showed to be costing the economy billions of Pesos per day.
