IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Monday announced that no local government unit (LGU) has been disapproved in the assessment for the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program.

“So far, so good. We have not disapproved of anyone yet because, in the conceptualization and consultation process, we immediately saw their political will,” DOST Undersecretary Sancho Mabborang said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The said award recognizes city mayors who are pioneering the adoption and strategic use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance their delivery of government services, improve revenue/tax collection efforts, and promote transparency in government operations.

In a statement Friday, the DOST-ICT said hiring additional project managers aims to fast-track the implementation of government's various IT projects in line with the eGovernment Masterplan (eGMP) and the Medium-Term ICT Harmonization Initiative (MITHI).

The donation of the MDRU to the Philippines happened through the efforts of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (MIC) and the Central Visayas Information Sharing Network Foundation (CVISNet).

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,” DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo said during the event.

The Department of Science and Technology Samar has provided P1.5 million in technical assistance for a four-year plan to help Catbalogan City become a smart and sustainable city.

The project is about maximizing the use of technological and digital solutions as well as innovative means to improve people’s lives, creating new opportunities, and addressing future challenges in health care, education, infrastructure, security of resources, public safety, disaster risks, and climate change,” said Dr. Evelyn Bacarra-Tablante, DOST-Samar provincial director.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is setting its sights on transforming every town and city in the Philippines into a “smart and sustainable” community, harnessing technology, innovation, and resource management to boost local governance and safeguard the environment for future generations.

“Ultimately, our dream for all towns and cities in the Philippines is to be smart and sustainable,” Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in this city.

The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has handed over specialized science, technology, and innovation (STI) roadmaps to the city governments of Pasig and Caloocan to help them develop smart and sustainable communities.

The turnover ceremony took place Monday during the opening of the DoST-National Capital Region’s (DoST-NCR) 2025 Regional Science, Innovation and Technology Week, held at the Technological Institute of the Philippines in Quezon City.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) signed Wednesday, Nov. 24, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the city government of Sta. Rosa, Laguna seeking to transform the city of Sta. Rosa to high-level smart city.

DOST Calabarzon Regional Director Emelita P. Bagsit, Mayor Arlene B. Arcillas, and Engr. Francisco R. Barquilla, Officer-In-Charge (OIC)-Assistant Regional Director for Technical Operations of DOST-Calabarzon inked the pact for the six-month project on “Smart City Assessment and Roadmap Development of Santa Rosa City”.

A special plaque of recognition was given by the Information and Communications Technology Office of DOST (DOST - ICT) Office to: San Fernando, Pampanga, Makati, Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Cebu, Balanga, Bataan, Angeles, Batangas, Taguig.

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCIEERD) is proposing a higher artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city project budget for 2025.

About P87 million is proposed to be allotted for smart city and AI projects in 2025 from the approved P54 million this year, the DoST-PCIEERD said on July 18.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through its Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) in partnership with DOH and other institutions, plans to deploy at least 100 more RxBox devices by the end of 2016.

This was revealed in the second eHealth Summit held during the recent National Science and Technology Week celebration at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

RxBox is a device with built-in medical sensors capable of storing data in an electronic medical record, transmitting health information via the Internet upon the consent of the patient, and facilitating tele-consultations.

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), together with the University of the Philippines Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry (UP TCAGP), has launched a new system to improve governance and public services in the country.

Called the Smart Metro or the Modern Geospatial and Collaborative Solutions for the Development of Smart Regions, the system aims to address issues on disasters and emergency responses, traffic, mobility, land use, flooding, health and environmental concerns, and economic planning.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has signed three separate agreements with electronic-payment (e-payment) platforms PayMaya, GCash and Link.Biz on offering payment options for those wishing to apply for or renew their business names.

“Long queues and inefficient and slow services will soon be a thing of the past in government. At DTI, we are constantly improving our frontline services to become [on a] par with international standards. Our agreement with e-payment platforms completes our business name registration system, as we are now able to provide our citizens the convenience of having to transact with [the] DTI through their mobile phones in the comfort of their homes, or wherever they are, 24/7,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

An official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao Region said there is a need for a better online system for ease of doing business as well as better performance monitoring of their personnel.

During the weeklong Global Distance Learning Network Program (GDLNP) that DTI and the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) attended in South Korea, DTI Davao Information Officer III and Knowledge Management Regional Coordinator Jenny Mendoza said they focused on e-governance particularly on how the South Korean government operates and succeeded in doing e-governance in all of their transactions. Mendoza added there is no face-to-face transaction between the citizens and the government personnel as everything is done online.

As DTI Regional Director Cynthia Nierras personally turned over some equipment worth nearly P300,000 to the bottled sardines and seaweed pickles processing plant in Binaliw, other agencies pledged different kinds of support.

Barangay Binaliw is a coastal barangay located 24 kilometers north of Calbayog. The more 2,000 locals are either engaged in fishing or farming.

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.