IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Future-ready homes and cities will soon dominate the country’s urban landscape

In response to the growing Filipino homebuyers’ demand for convenience, energy efficiency, and security, real estate developers are now building smart homes that fit a modern lifestyle. These home units are provided with a setup where appliances and devices are controlled remotely via smartphones or voice assistants, provide enhanced security, help reduce energy consumption, and improve the overall living experience.

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.

Go Manila App is a mobile app launched by the local government of the city of Manila in 2020 for people living in the city. It is supposed to provide seamless connectivity to its users and allow them to pay utility bills, fines, taxes, loans, etc., online. It was built under the administration of Mayor of Manila Francisco Moreno Domagoso. According to the city government, it is their first initiative to make the city of Manila an actual smart city of the 21st century.

What is the Go Manila App?

As mentioned before, the Go Manila App is a kind of citizen portal for the people living in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The reason behind creating this app was to improve the city and make it more like a smart city. A city that uses advanced technology and seamless connectivity to improve transportation, energy, public security, and health care.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Wednesday called on the government to prioritize the transition of applicable government processes to e-governance with the use of available information and communications technologies as gaps in the delivery of services become more evident amid the pandemic.

“There are processes in government that can be better implemented with the use of modern technologies. We saw this during the Covid-19 crisis where most of our daily transactions need to evolve,” Go explained in Filipino.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other concerned agencies to prioritize developing e-governance systems and transform the conduct of government processes to make government more efficient, accessible, and responsive to the changing times.

“Sa panahon ngayon, lahat nagta-transition na to online — from e-governance, e-commerce, and also online learning. Importante na hindi po maiwan ang bansa pagdating sa transition to the digital age (Everyone is transitioning to online. It is important that we are not left behind in this transition to the digital age),” Go said.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go called on the government to hasten its digital transformation of government agencies in order that Filipinos may find it easier to access their basic services online.

Go said the coronavirus crisis continues to highlight the need to invest in technology and promote e-governance practices to improve efficiency in the delivery of public goods and services.

This was stressed by Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo, after President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 47, reorganizing the CICT and making it an attached agency of the DoST. The new office has been named Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO).

Montejo said while ICTO will be accelerating the development of a connected government integrated IT government systems under a unified platform, it will also “put an end to the inefficient ICT projects that are disjointed or duplication of each other.”

DoST Secretary Mario G. Montejo explained that the first in the department’s agenda for 2012 is to explore avenues opened by public and private partnerships (PPPs) in order to use Science and Technology to solve pressing national problems.

Alejandro P. Melchor III, deputy executive director for ICT Industry Development of the Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) told the meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Phil-ippine Inc. (AmCham) that under the value-chain program, the Philippines intends to become market leader in the United Kingdom and Australia in voice business process outsourcing (BPO).

DOST Undersecretary and Information and Communications Technology Office executive director Louis Napoleon Casambre said a network that can link 160 government offices in Metro Manila will be operational in a few weeks.

Lawyer Jose Fabia, Director General of PIA, said the program is the agency’s initiative to automate and expedite its operations, specifically the dissemination of advisories, news and warnings to national and local government officials, police and military personnel, also barangay officials and media nationwide.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino submitted House Resolution 1397 citing the UN report that vastly expands the capacity of individuals to enjoy their right to freedom of opinion and expression, which is an enabler of other human rights.

"The Internet boosts economic, social and political development and contributes to the progress of human kind as a whole," Palatino said.

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said the full implementation of the strategy is bound to happen, with the ICTO dealing with it through scientific approach.

He said PDS will be adopted by ICTO considering its workability and practicability for the country’s digital empowerment.

Former Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered all government agencies to use digital methods in disbursing and collecting payments with Executive Order No. 170 signed in May. But this is just the tip of the government digital transformation iceberg. There are a lot more to include and consider when transforming a government.

This is precisely what is covered in the Full Digital Transformation Act of 2020 or Senate Bill (SB) No. 1793. Filed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in 2020, it is an “Act mandating the full digital transformation of all government agencies, officers, and corporations, including local government units, appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes”, according to the Senate of the Philippines website.

Budget Undersecretary Richard Moya said they have finished the technical study and other requirements for the public bidding of the P1.8-billion project.

“You don’t have to procure them, they will fall on your laps,” Moya said in his presentation at the start of the three-day iGovPhil forum held at the UP Ayala Technohub along Commonwealth Avenue, in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday.

The government is eyeing a “single-window approach” in its bid to streamline the business registration, as it institutes reforms to further enhance the ease of doing business in the country.

“We are not satisfied with a single-stop-shop approach. We want to have a single-window approach so that the processing of permits and business applications will be faster,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia on Thursday.

The Department of Finance (DOF) wants to prohibit online sales of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages to curb underage smokers and drinkers as well as for tax compliance purposes.

Following the proliferation of merchants selling cigarettes and alcoholic drinks on e-commerce platforms, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the government will impose a ban against the sale of liquors and cigarettes online.

The training series will instruct webmasters of various government agencies on how to integrate the Government Website Template, including its policies and standards, using Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress as content management systems (CMS).

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said a strong government-private sector partnership is needed to help the Philippines breach the digital divide and achieve financial inclusion for all Filipinos.

Dominguez said the government is fully aware that the private sector’s expertise and initiative to adopt digital innovations will help the country as it adjusts to the rapid changes in the emerging new economy.