IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

In line with the agency’s SMART Subic Project, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) inaugurated the Go Live SBMA 911 at this premier Freeport on Thursday morning.

According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan, the Go Live SBMA 911 is part of the Philippine Emergency Hotline 911 and is in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the IC Bestlink Telecoms Corporation.

The Makati City government has announced it will install solar panels in all public schools in the city to promote a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable community.

During the Brigada Eskwela at Comembo Elementary School on Wednesday, Mayor Abigail Binay said her administration wants to be the pioneer in using renewable energy to power public schools and local government offices.

In a statement, the city said the iPad 2 tablets have replaced the laptops the councilors had been using during council sessions.

Aside from increasing the efficiency and performance of council members, Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay said the equipment upgrade was in line with the city's thrust for ‘e-governance’ that was initiated in 2007 by then local executive and now Vice President Jejomar C. Binay.

Soon, Makati City will become a fully digital and technology-embracing “Smart City”.

This after the city government of Makati early this week entered into public-private partnership (PPP) contracts with private-sector partners for five landmark digital projects.

The Makati City government is set to transform its Makatizen Cards into virtual cards.

Mayor Abigail Binay made this announcement during Wednesday’s forum dubbed as “The Rise of Intelligent Cities and Municipalities” held at the Bonifacio Global City.

Binay said by going digital, the Makatizen Card will soon be conveniently accessed through a smartphone or any internet-enabled device, making it easier for residents to access government services and programs.

The newly-created Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) should be policy-centric, and as much as possible, allow the private sector to steer the ICT ecosystem in the Philippines, said a Silicon Valley-based magnate.

Filipino venture capitalist Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, who was in Cebu last week, said the DICT “should stay on the policy side.”

Today, city managers are hard-pressed to keep up with a growing population, changing expectations of citizens, and erratic macro and micro economic reforms. For Central Business Districts (CBD) like Makati City, efforts are ongoing to enhance the city’s competitiveness and liveability.

In Makati, there will always be competing demands for better and globally competitive facilities to support businesses, commerce, recreation, utilities and transportation among others.

An urban development specialist said transforming Metro Manila into a smart city requires a lot of redevelopment, a certain degree of creativity and political will on the part of government officials.

"A city is a dynamic place. There are new opportunities that come up, and there is such a thing as urban redevelopment because, for whatever reason, certain parts of the city deteriorate, and adopting smart technologies will definitely help in speeding up the process," Dr. Nathaniel von Einsiedel said Saturday night on "Business and Politics," a weekly program on SMNI hosted by The Manila Times Chairman Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd.

Iveda® (NASDAQ: IVDA), a global leader in AI-driven video surveillance and smart city technologies, today announced the deployment of its IvedaAItm platform in a major city center in the Philippines, under an initial $180,000 order. This milestone marks the company's first smart city implementation under its broader $3 million smart city initiative in the region.

Starting in the heart of Manila, Iveda Philippines is working alongside city officials and their existing trusted system integrator partners to meet the growing demands on safety in some of the country's largest multinational hubs. The city selected IvedaAI to augment its extensive CCTV infrastructure with real-time, AI-powered analytics. Rather than replacing pre-existing hardware, IvedaAI layers seamlessly onto current CCTV systems to deliver faster, more accurate detection of critical incidents, enhanced public safety, and operational efficiency.

Technology has made many aspects of life easier. Governments and the private sector alike are investing in technology to develop smart communities and improve governance.

The Marcos administration is moving to fast-track the shift to e-governance, not only to improve the delivery of services but also to cut opportunities for corruption.

NSCB Secretary-General Jose Ramon Albert cited data from the Measuring the Information Society Report 2013, which showed that the country only ranked seventh among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member-economies.

Manila lagged in the lower third of the 2014 edition of Networked Society City Index report, which ranked the Philippine capital only 33rd among 40 cities in terms of its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) maturity.

This was despite being rated as the “8th most improved” city in the same Index.

The Makati City government is set to sign Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts for five important projects that would bring about digital transformation for the city.

Makati Mayor Abigail Binay will lead the signing of PPP contracts on Monday for the following: Fiber Optic Loop Connecting Makati City eGovernment in partnership with several private companies to acquire mobile signal boosters to strengthen cellular and Internet connectivity in partnership with technology and market research companies as well.

With former Senator Gregorio Honasan officially taking over the helm of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the plan of Mayor Francis Zamora of making San Juan a “smart city” may soon come true.

Honasan, who was appointed by President Duterte last November, took oath as the new DICT chief on Monday, replacing Eliseo Rio, its former officer-in-charge.

A businesswoman turned mayoral candidate has vowed to transform Pasig into a “smart city” by utilizing technology to improve public services, emphasizing the need for change and progress in the city.

If she wins in the mayoral race, Sarah Discaya aims to enhance the quality of life for Pasig residents through key initiatives in education, health care and housing.

The region is working with Iveda on a series of smart city and digital transformation projects and has just completed an intelligent video surveillance pilot in Caloocan.

Metro Manila, one of three defined metropolitan areas of the Philippines, has partnered with Iveda for a series of smart city and digital transformation projects.

About 80 percent of the transactions and work in the finance division of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) is still done manually despite the available accounting system.

Minda Finance Division Supervising Administrative Officer Aurora Cuello said government leaders should have a changed mindset towards e-governance for convenience and a more efficient delivery of service to the citizens.

Stating the Aquino administration’s official stance on the matter, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary Mario Montejo said in an executive forum that the country has no urgent need for a Department of ICT (DICT).

Speaking at the recent “DICT debate forum” organized by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City, Montejo argued that it may no longer be necessary to create a DICT since the DOST has the “competence and experience to uphold the interests of the ICT sector.”

The City Government of Davao is set to strengthen its security measures this 2025 by installing additional closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in key public areas, according to the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO).

PSSO head Angel Sumagaysay, in an interview with the city-owned radio station, revealed that fiber optic cables are being installed to support the expansion of the city’s CCTV network. With approval from the Davao City Mayor’s Office, priority areas have been identified for the new installations.

For the past few months, the government has been dealing with challenges in implementing an efficient way to do contact tracing for citizens who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive. Establishments ask their customers to provide their contact details through forms that are given on entrance doors, which causes heavy crowd getting bottlenecked, forgetting the physical distance rule. Not to mention that high inaccuracy as this is done manual and with no means of verifying if the customer information provided is true and correct.

MYEG PHILIPPINES, INC. (MYEG PH), a market leader in electronic solutions championing government services online automation, has been providing eGovernment services in both Malaysia and the Philippines for the last 18 years through its technology platform encompassing internet, automation, big data and electronic payments.