Government 2.0

initiating a paradigm shift from within

Print media is dying in the western world. The calling card, the scrapbook, and the diary have evolved; they’re now collectively known as Facebook. Politics and big business have started to tweet. The word 'tweet' itself, like 'google' of yesteryears, is in the process of becoming part of this generation’s lingua franca. We’re seeing a titanic shift in the way information is being shared. And the government of this Republic, based on the numbers below, should either adjust accordingly or lie forever trapped in it’s self-made quagmire of technological anachronism.

Most of our government websites today use technology that was considered state of the art in the late nineties. Considering that we’re still using boats and planes from WWII, this is not very surprising. Unlike these multi-million dollar acquisitions however, developing and improving our online assets is a much cheaper endeavor, produces immediate results, and, when properly utilized, can be more effective in delivering government services to perhaps 11.4 million RP citizens on Facebook alone. Note that this online Filipino demographic is, in all probability, the same community that actually pays for everything that government does anyway.

Big business has already taken its initial steps in engaging consumers via web services and social media. Bringing government into the picture should not be difficult considering that it already has a willing and ready audience. Imagine the BIR answering questions in Facebook regarding the process of paying capital gains tax. Imagine the Province of Palawan doling out cheap promos for both foreign and local tourists on Twitter. Imagine avoiding EDSA traffic via a Google-MMDA partnership that provides real-time updates of the metropolis in transit. Imagine filling up a government form online and this being processed so that all you have to do when you get to the agency’s office is pay and sign for the transaction.

The possibilities are endless. The costs, relatively negligible. The efficiency and time saved, unmatched. The will and the initiative to jumpstart a paradigm shift that will eventually modernize the bureaucracy? Maybe after we buy another chopper. A newer one, of course. One that saw action during the Vietnam war.