IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

FAiTH, which will be launched on November 14, is the first of its kind in the Philippine government, which previously did not have a system for tracking the use of disaster-relief funds donated by other countries and aid organizations.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can use a self-assessment toolkit to measure their readiness to embark on the digital transformation as they onboard to digital platforms or marketplaces.

Wea Bohol, officer-in-charge of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) E-Commerce Division, said the Digital Maturity & Digital Mindset (DM2) toolkit is a free to use diagnostic test or survey that will enable these firms to self-assess their level of digital maturity to identify training modules that will help accelerate digital transformation.

The government should mandate its institutions and public servants to use artificial intelligence to improve services, strengthen oversight and protect public resources, a leading think tank said.

Stratbase Institute president Dindo Manhit said the E-Governance Act provides a strong foundation for this transformation by promoting connected government systems and responsive, transparent and citizen-centered public services.

The senator said that in a survey of 142 economies, the report ranked the Philippines 106th and 103rd respectively in terms of the impact ICT has on improving access to basic services and on enhancing government efficiency.

Government agencies unveiled on Tuesday a package of reforms to further simplify the process of starting a business in the Philippines to six steps and eight days, down from the existing setup requiring 16 steps and 34 days.

The government also announced e-government initiatives for accessible and convenient online transactions for payroll-related payments to Philhealth and Pag-IBIG, reducing the number of payments from 36 to 13 per year.

“We continue to be encouraged by reforms that will make our business registration faster, simpler, more efficient, and more transparent,” DTI Secretary and NCC Co-Chair Gregory L. Domingo said.

During the launch of the Philippine Digital Strategy for 2011 to 2016, Monchito Ibrahim, commissioner of CICT, told reporters that all projects under the roadmap would be implemented through PPP.

He estimated about P1-billion worth of government projects to improve the Internet connectivity of all public agencies.

iSchools project, a flagship project of CICT, has provided internet-abled computer laboratories to 1,000 public high schools and given roughly 19,200 school personnel with IT training for education initiatives.

“We are now trying to complete our deliverables and make sure that all schools get appropriate IT training,” Christian Placido Calma, CICT Project Development Officer and the Project Content Development Head told FutureGov Asia Pacific Magazine.

After November 30, the GSIS will submit all applications to LandBank for the printing of the LandBank-issued UMID eCard.

It may be recalled that beginning August of this year, the more than 1.4 million members may already choose to have their loan proceeds and other benefits credited to a UMID (Unified Multi-Purpose Identification) eCard issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

GSIS regional manager Deity U. Manampan bared that expanding its partnership with the Landbank of the Philippines is an answer to complaints of most members living in areas where there is no Unionbank branch.

“We understand their complaints. Withdrawing money from a non-Unionbank ATM machine would cost them P10 or more per transaction. That would be too much for them if they withdraw often,” Manampan said.

GWAPS is a secure system that performs remote, paperless transactions. A GWAPS kiosk resembles an ATM and adopts world-class technologies such as radio-frequency identification or RFID recognition, biometrics and virtual private networks.

An electronic health information support system developed to help local government officials make informed decisions on health concerns has arrived in the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region.

The ceremonial turnover of the eHATID (eHealth TABLET for Informed Decision-making), tablets that contain health-related information, particularly patient records, was one of the highlight of the recent Mimarop leg of the Science Nation Tour: Agham na Ramdam, which concided with the 51st regional development council meeting in Marinduque, the Department of Science and Technology said in a statement.

House Bill 5060, a substitute bill for four separate measures was introduced by Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara, and former president and detained Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

A House leader on Monday welcomed the approval of the bill establishing an E-Government masterplan that will give the public access to government services through the Internet.

The House of Representatives last week voted 229-0 to approve House Bill 6927 or the E-Government Act.

With the approval of the E-Government Act, Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte pushed for the immediate implementation of Republic Act 11055, or the National Identification or ID System Act, and of the National Broadband Plan of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Tarlac 2nd district representative Susan Yap, author of House Bill 908, said the use of biometrics in voter registration has been validated as a reliable way of confirming the identity of a person.

Biometics involves electronic recording of applicants’ photographs and signature, as well as his or her fingerprints.

The House Committee on Information and Communications Technology has ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to fast-track its plan to lower interconnection charges for voice calls.

The order was made after lawmakers aired their complaints against telecommunications services in the country, including slow Internet, dropped calls and costly voice-call charges to other networks, during a recent committee hearing, headed by Rep. Victor A. Yap of Tarlac.

Emphasizing that government support is essential in enhancing ICT development in the country to further boost economic growth and create employment opportunities, Globe Telecom reiterates call for closer collaboration with the government in developing key telecommunication infrastructure.

“Time and again, we continue to call on the government to help develop broadband access in the Philippines by investing in internet infrastructure in rural and far-flung areas of the country. There is no substitute for government support if we are to achieve social inclusion of all communities as we aspire for further economic growth,” Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu said, emphasizing that development of broadband infrastructure is particularly essential in communities where even basic infrastructure services such as roads and bridges are lacking.

Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, emphasized that broadband technologies can also help initiatives in climate change adaptation, citing a recent study from the Broadband Commission for Digital Development.

“The study points out that ICT can usher in a low-carbon future because these help dematerialize physical products and systems, such as in a so-called paperless society, for example,” said Angara, who also heads the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).

Sec. Abad said all releases of government including obligations and disbursements will now be available for viewing in the DBM website.

The budget chief also announced that starting this quarter, DBM will process the so-called “electronic bidding” so that said transaction will not be accompanied by too much human intervention, he said.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo has said the agency’s efforts in developing information and communications technology (ICT)-enabled products and systems are among its major contributions to address various health concerns.

“ICT has changed the way we live, and healthcare is among the areas that could benefit from its capability,” he added.

“The use of ICT for education requires significant investment,” Luistro said during the opening of two-day Second Asia-Pacific Ministerial Forum on ICT Education (AMFIE). “It is heartening to note that many of the ICT companies focus assistance on education. But far from simply corporate philanthropy, inputs focused on education are social investments Friday for an enlightened and vibrant client base in the future.”