Senator Teofisto Guingona III launched an online platform called “The Guingona Project” which aims to generate feedback and comments from the public on the recently filed Senate Bill No. 73 or The Philippine Crowdsourcing Act of 2013.

“Senate Bill No. 73 seeks to bring the principles of empowerment and people’s participation to a higher level. It’s more than just getting a sense of public sentiment, more than just scanning the public opinion environment; it’s directly asking the Filipino to make his voice heard and be an active participant in the process of legislation,” Guingona said in an official statement.

Once enacted, the bill will enable citizens to easily participate in the law making process by going online.

The Senator likened the portal to a virtual version of Plaza Miranda, a public square in the Philippines which was once regarded as the centre of political discourse in the 1970s.

“There was a time when Plaza Miranda was an arena of ideas where politicians and ordinary people alike would say their piece and they would be applauded by believers and booed and challenged by their adversaries. The internet will be the ‘new’ Plaza Miranda. The arena may be new, but the principle remains the same. Any legislative initiative that is to affect the life of our people must be able to withstand the most intense, even the worst scrutiny, by those for whom we perform our legislative tasks,” he explained.

The Guingona Project features an infographic explaining how the Crowdsourcing Act can potentially transform the traditional legislative process and other relevant information essential for citizens to understand the full context of the Crowdsourcing Act.

Citizens can send their feedback or comment by filling all important details such as name, e-mail (which will be kept confidential) and location.

According to the Senator, public comments on the virtual platform will be accepted until noon of 21 August.