The Senate is moving toward becoming paperless, or at the very least use less paper, as part of its digitization push.
“It’s not totally paperless, but significantly less paper,” said Director Mario Sulit, head of the Senate Electronic Data Processing.
He said there are certain documents that need to have a “hard copy” such as the Personal Data Sheet (PDS) and financial documents like vouchers, payroll and purchase request, among others.
He said the electronic filing (e-filing) of bills, a pet project of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri,
makes it faster and more efficient instead of physically going to the Bills Index.
Sulit said online filing of bills is faster than doing it manually as the measure can immediately be given a number.
The EDP director said he hopes the e-filing push will be implemented in full blast by the end of March.
“This is still a developing process. It’s like a test. Once it’s okay, we can deploy it,” Sulit said.
As part of digitization efforts, Sulit said network and IT infrastructures, including fiber optics and servers, will likewise be installed at the new Senate Building at BCG in Taguig City.
Another paperless project involves the Legislative Information System (LIS) which Sulit branded “an old legacy” system that needs to be replaced.
“With e-filing, everybody now has access to all the contents in the LIS. If you are looking for a particular bill, just type the title or the number in the ‘Search Tool,’” he said.
Sulit said with eCongress, a digital platform that will strengthen and streamline the coordination and partnership between the House of Representatives and the Senate, Filipinos are assured of an “integrated and secure digital legislative management system.”
eCongress, he said, is seen to make the passage of laws more efficient and make inter-chamber processes much swifter.