Imee urges Malacañang to sign KPA

Konektadong Pinoy Act (KPA) principal author, Senator Imee R. Marcos, has called for the immediate signing of the newly passed bill and urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to begin drafting its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

The senator cited President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a clear rationale for expediting the law’s implementation.

“Digitalization is the call of today, not the call of the future, but of the present. It is here. It is needed, and it is needed today. The government must fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people, through its vital frontline services and its back-end functions,” the President said in his speech.

“If the administration is serious about this commitment, there should be no reason to delay the full passage and implementation of the KPA,” Senator Imee said.

She also agreed with Philtrust Bank Chairman Hermogenes Esperon’s observation that the President missed an opportunity in his recent SONA to discuss plans for advancing the digital economy.

“Esperon is right. It was a missed opportunity to lay out concrete strategies for growing the digital economy, which has the potential to increase government revenue and help address the country’s annual budget deficit,” Marcos added.

The senator further recommended that funding for the KPA be included in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“We are already a generation behind in digitalization. Delaying the implementation of the KPA further poses a serious threat to our nation’s development. We must allocate funding for it without delay,” she stressed.*