IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The 2014 yearbook of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), released a few days ago, highlights a less known but equally revolutionary transformative role of the Internet: that of a development enabler.

The adoption of e-government systems has been “incremental” with the pandemic exposing areas still untouched by the digital shift, such as cash aid distribution, a government think tank said.

In a statement Monday, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said its upcoming discussion paper, “Innovating Governance: Building Resilience Against COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Risks,” will highlight the importance of accelerating e-government to deal with crises.

Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito Estrada signed the contract for the e-governance tax collection system recently along with Certeze InfoSys Corp. President Reynaldo R. Adorador and Korean-based Amelia Solution Chief Finance Officer Sojohann S. C with the primary aim of improving the annual tax collection in the province of Laguna.

Senator Grace Poe is pushing for the establishment of an “E-Government” to improve the delivery of government services and public access.

Poe on Saturday, July 18, said it is high time for the institutionalization of electronic governance that will swiftly respond to the concerns of citizens to spare them from risks and having to wait in long lines.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said the city government has partnered with the University of the Philippines (UP) in establishing a web-based health record management system in the 72 Quezon City health center facilities composed of health centers, lying-in clinics, social hygiene centers and microscopy centers.

The city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar will launch by September a digital platform designed to enhance the delivery of healthcare services.

Identified as one of the initiatives under the Smart and Sustainable Cities Program, the local government will come up with a "comprehensive patient database, seamlessly connecting medical needs" with city social services, the "Libreng Medisina" (free medicine) program, and the soon-to-open city infirmary's laboratory and x-ray services.

A “Libre Sakay” (free ride) app was launched on Monday, March 4, in Borongan City, Eastern Samar in line with the city government's smart city initiative.

The app was launched alongside the unveiling of the Smart Technologies Innovation Center at the Eastern Samar State University in Borongan City.

The app aims to augment the operations of the city’s Libre Sakay program where recipients of the free transport service are given easy access to the transport system with its QR-generated IDs and bus tracking features, among others.

Borongan City in Eastern Samar took a major step towards becoming a Smart City after the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in collaboration with the Isabela State University (ISU)-Cauayan Campus and Cauayan City government, conducted a Smart City Assessment and Roadmap Formulation from May 10 to 13.

The three-day event aimed to harness smart and sustainable technologies and practices in the country.

Borongan City in Eastern Samar is working with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and other government institutions for a Smart City assessment and roadmap formulation as a major step towards economic development in the city, top local government officials said.

"The implementation of this project aims to promote good governance and transparency. Technology adaptation will make public service more efficient and will make civil servants more accountable to the people they serve,” said Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan "Dayan" Agda.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said the biometrics system piloted in this town is seen to avoid any unnecessary arrangements made by the beneficiaries with other persons.

“After the implementation in Leyte, the biometrics technology will also be used in the province of Maguindanao, where there is high prevalence of fraud in claiming the amount intended for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries,” Soliman said.

This southernmost city of Nueva Ecija is aiming to become the province’s first “Smart City” with its plan to put up a command center that is fully-equipped with 250 sets of closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, said City Mayor Emerson “Emeng” Pascual.

Pascual, the former Barangay Pambuan chairman-turned city mayor who won his second term unopposed which is a record first in the city’s political history, said the CCTV project is being funded by the city government at P49-million and is expected to help aid authorities in the traffic management and monitoring and in the maintenance of the city’s peace and order situation, including crime prevention and solution.

Officials said the plan will guide government agencies in aligning their information systems’ strategic plans to the national e-government priorities such as efficiency and transparency.

The National ICT Summit 2013 also served as the venue for the government to provide updates on several its initiatives in e-government, ICT policy development, and cyber security.

Using ICT for health, also known as eHealth, “is envisioned to transcend the constraints brought about by the country’s archipelagic setup and limited budget,” Science Secretary Mario G. Montejo said during the summit.

There is a saying that if you are in business and you are not doing e-commerce, then you are not in business at all.

Perhaps we could transpose that saying to say that if you are in governance and you are not doing e-governance, then you are not in governance at all.

The new system using biometrics for 4Ps beneficiaries have been developed by the provincial government of Leyte through its Income Creating Opportunities through Technology Project – Information Technology (ICOT-P IT).

Local government units (LGUs) can work with private and public stakeholders to expand the range of options in financing smart city initiatives, according to a research paper published by the think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (Pids).

“The conduct of PPP (public-private partnership) smart city projects should be explored more as an additional option, given the emphasis placed on its potential in the reviewed literature and cases of international cities,” it said in a paper.

To promote the system, the NTHC recently organized a gathering of developers and users of free and open-source software for use in health centers around the world for the sixth annual OpenMRS Implementers Meeting held at the Y.C. James Yen Center at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

The foreign business community has renewed its call for the establishment of a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), saying this will enhance the attractiveness of the Philippines as an investment destination.

In a letter to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) cited the benefits of having a DICT, such as more effective implementation of e-governance, data protection and cybersecurity measures, as well as increased efficiency and reduction of costs for the government.

How the cities of the future will look like and what its features would be no one really knows. But one thing for sure, it is going to need the basic utilities that are necessary to sustain life, and these are gas, electricity, mobility and safe water.

For us to easily remember these four utilities, I have come up with GEMS as a mnemonic device for it.

State Secretary of the Federal German Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat, or BMI) Gunther Adler visited Manila from November 3 to 5, accompanied by a ministerial delegation from the Division for Smart Cities and Urban Development Policy.

The visit to Manila marked the last destination of their mission to Asia, which included visits to Beijing and Tokyo. The BMI visit focused on urban planning and smart cities.