IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has raised the need to prioritize digitalization of public service delivery as he renewed his call for the passage of the E-Governance Bill.

“We need e-governance to provide our people with the services they need from the comfort of their homes or workplaces,” he told the country’s economic managers during a briefing conducted by the Development Budget Coordination Council last week.

The call of Sen. Bong Go to government departments and agencies to avail of new information and communication technologies is not only part of the solution to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus but will curb corruption in the government bureaucracy. The other ultimate advantage is efficiency in government service.

Information technology had been with us but sadly you can count on your left-hand fingers the number of government agencies that migrated their systems from the traditional person-to-person to no-contact transactions.

Comste has a target of deploying 200 new telehealth clinics within the next two years. The commission is also targeting the development of new biomedical devices/subsystems–ECG, blood tests, urinalysis, disease screening in coordination with local electronics industry partners.

Department of Health secretary Enrique Ona, who is a member of the Comste health panel, noted that the role of ICT would play an important role in making the move towards achieving universal healthcare.

In the Philippines, cities remain vulnerable to risks arising from natural disasters, poor urban planning, and as of late, even public health pandemics. The growing incidence of these natural hazards has significantly threatened Filipino lives, causing large-scale damage across livelihoods and communities while putting a strain on local resources. Meanwhile, other factors such as rapid urbanization and the alarming effects of climate change exacerbate such risks.

However, this does not need to be the case for all city center. Reducing such risks and building resiliency in urban areas is in fact a planning and development issue that can be addressed through proper implementation of land use management processes and modern technologies. These regulations can become powerful tools, not only to improve urban living conditions, but in the inclusive transformation towards more functional, resilient and sustainable cities and societies.

This year's The Manila Times Model cities and municipalities opened fruitful discussions on the future of the Philippines as a smart city. Each of the keynote speakers provided great insights on creating better smart cities.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. started the discussion by introducing the government's plans towards digitalization, dynamic innovation ecosystems and enhanced connectivity.

The P7.5 million Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-funded Internet of Things Research and Innovation for Smart Cities (IoTRILS) laboratory has been inaugurated at Bulacan State University (BulSU).

The laboratory is located on the 4th floor of the College of Industrial Technology building in BulSU’s main campus and is eyed to boost innovation and contribute to Malolos’ bid to become a Smart City.

The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) turned over the Smart City Roadmap Report to the City Government of Malolos as beneficiary for the pilot implementation of DAP's Linking Innovation Partners towards Accelerated Development in the Philippines Program.

Malolos Mayor Christian Natividad received the Smart City Roadmap Report from DAP President and CEO Majah-Leah Ravago during the first Smart City Convention held at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas Center, Pasig City on April 18, 2024.

The San Jose del Monte City government, under the leadership of Mayor Arthur Robes, has conducted a Strategic Planning Seminar-Workshop for the Annual Investment Plan 2026.

Robes thanked the City Planning and Development Office and all the local government’s department heads for cooperating in the recent activity.

Improved municipal decision-making in the Philippines

The town of Angat in the Philippines faces a number of urban management challenges. Thanks to the ‘Smart Angat’ solution developed by RASA Surveying and SuperMap, the Angat municipal government officials will benefit from more effective decision-making processes supporting taxation, planning, development and disaster preparedness, among other things.

Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim S. Henares said in a statement that some 30 revenue district offices in Metro Manila— including the RDO No. 43B where the initial “eLounge” is located—would have their own facilities by March, in time for the tax filing season.

RDOs outside Metro Manila will have their own eLounge depending on the availability of funds.

The government’s central portal streamlining the process of establishing a business is due for public launch next month, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said.

The central business portal aims to reduce business registration to an eight-step process lasting less than a week. Registration took 13 steps and 33 days in 2019, ARTA said in a statement Saturday.

In our work to streamline government services, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) found that one choke point when it comes to processing applications and requests was the number of documentary requirements and signatures needed. Numerous papers have to be passed around and signed by a handful of key persons, which means that it could take days before the transaction could be completed. With the interconnectivity that modern technology provides, this could be done faster and more efficiently through the use of electronic documents and digital signatures.

The ARTA has long been pushing for the use of digital signatures in government practice, especially now when there was an urgent need for automated solutions as to not hamper the delivery of public service amid the pandemic. In fact, the authority has been aiming to be the first paperless agency in the country by shifting from manual to digital documentations.

The regional office of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) launched the Cagayan Valley Smarter City Belt, a program that identifies cities and municipalities that are advancing smart city efforts.

DoST Regional Director Sancho Mabborang explained that the concept aims to build the “belt” and “road,” which means more digital connectivity throughout the region and later on linking with other smart cities in the country.

Officials of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) here allayed fears about the risk of allowing Chinese private investors to develop Fuga Island into a multibillion-dollar Smart City.

The proposed project for Fuga Island is the “One Belt One Road Fuga Island New Smart City,” a master planned $2-billion development that will include a high-technology industrial park and a medical school, according to Sec. Raul Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive officer.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Western Visayas is gearing up Capiz province for the Smart and Sustainable Communities (SSC) program.

The SSC program of DOST targets seven outcomes for a smart city, namely economic development, improved quality of life, enhanced public safety, better mobility, better health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and government efficiency.

The City of Butuan today is outperforming most Philippine cities in terms of transformative governance. It is a rising transformation gem in Caraga recognized for its innovative projects, including being one of the 15 cities in the world declared as winners in the last Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Mayors Challenge that came with a $1 million prize, technical support, and coaching for three years for the implementation of the city’s winning proposal.

After eight years, I was back in Butuan a couple of weeks back to speak at MindaCon 2023 which the city hosted. The well-attended conference is an annual event of all the ICT Councils in Mindanao and is jointly organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo has declared Cauayan in Isabela, Cagayan Valley as the first Smarter City in the region and the first among the 144 cities in the country.

He made the pronouncement during the recent Region 2 leg of the “Science Nation: Agham na Ramdam” nationwide roadshow of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Cauayan City is also the first local government unit in the region to unite all its barangays in implementing “Juan Time”—a DOST campaign for the synchronization of all watches, clocks, and time setting devices in the country, including office bundy clocks, to abide with the Philippine standard time. “Juan Time” also aims to promote a culture of punctuality among Filipinos.

The city government launched on Wednesday (March 3) a barangay digital registration system aimed at delivering public service in the new normal, including registration for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

The Barangay E-Governance and Information Network (BEGIN) will be used by the local government unit (LGU) for conducting surveys, data-basing, disaster response operations, and implementation of the national ID system.

In the second year of its eGov Awards for local government units, also called as the Jesse Robredo Award for Excellence in Information Technology (IT) for Good Governance, the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) recognized Cebu City’s IT-related programs.

Cebu City got the top spot in the Best in eGov Business Empowerment (G2B) search for its “Cebu Traffic” project.

The Cebu City government and PLDT Enterprise have strengthened their partnership to push for the city’s digital transformation goals.ransformation goals.

The partnership will initially adopt the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Google Workplace (GWS) in the delivery of public services, accelerating the local government unit’s (LGU) commitment to advancing its processes through digital solutions.