SSS, PhilHealth transparency portals launched; DICT vows more to come

MANILA, Philippines, December 8 ------ As the government grapples with the massive infrastructure scam, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that more transparency portals will be launched, with the Social Security System (SSS) and Philhealth already rolling out theirs.

In a Palace briefing, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the websites will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI), where people can track the projects and the amount of money being spent. The transparency portal will be similar to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The DPWH launched a transparency portal in the aftermath of one of the largest corruption scandals of the decade, with evidence pointing to the agency being the epicenter of a massive kickback scheme among officials and lawmakers. Aguda said that a handful of agencies have already expressed a willingness to have a transparency portal, but the government-owned or -controlled corporation (GOCC) will likely have its servers ready first, as their data is more readily available. GOCCs have to file their data with regulatory bodies, so the information is already digital and available on hand.

The datasets that will be included in the transparency portal will not just be limited to the funds, Aguda said. For example, an ideal transparency portal for the Department of Education (DepEd) would also include the number of classrooms being built. The Department of Health’s (DOH) portal would also ideally display the number of patients in public hospitals. Aguda did not give an explicit timeline as to when the executive agencies could have a transparency portal, but said that they are in talks with DepEd, DOH and the Department of Agriculture.

Source: philstar.com