IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The newly-implemented minimum broadband speed for fixed-line services is a step closer to solving the country’s Internet woes, says research firm International Data Corporation

Despite a continued upswing in the Philippines' information and communications technology (ICT) sector this year, its Internet services are still among the most expensive and slowest in Asia, research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

IDC said, however, that the newly-implemented minimum broadband speed for fixed-line services is a step closer to solving the country’s Internet woes.

The government will have a more strategic ICT push to enable technology adoption among organizations by 2021, research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts.

In its latest forecast for the country, IDC Philippines noted that with a new dedicated, centralized agency at the helm of the country’s ICT development, the government will be able to lay the much-needed groundwork to enable technology adoption for organizations.

When the pandemic limited the ways we normally live, digital transactions, remote work and online learning, among others, were adopted. This abrupt change was much-needed to navigate our lives in the new normal.

But to achieve a true digital transformation, there is still much work to be done toward a future-ready Philippines.

The Philippines has increasingly caught the eye of Singapore businesses in recent years, thanks to its growing middle-class, young population and skilled workforce.

Indeed, even in the midst of Covid-19, Koufu expanded its Supertea and R&B Tea brands in the Philippines in August 2020, via a franchise with Philippine F&B group Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures.

Authorities in Jamaica are considering linking the national identification number (NIN) to the taxpayer’s registration number (TRN) once pending digital ID legislation has been okayed, according to the Jamaica Observer. The National Identification and Registration Act (NIRA) is awaiting parliamentary approval.

Warren Vernon, project director for the National Identification System (NIDS) was quoted as saying such a move would be for the good of the general population as the TRN is more widely used by citizens than even passports.

An e-center operating in Zamboanga del Sur serves as a “human search engine” for American mobile telephone clients that answers to forwarded questions in under three minutes, said Andrie Silva Undal, president of the social entrepreneurial group, Wahp Foundation. Wahp is a popular online term referring to “work-at-home parents.”

Undal said the Zamboanga e-center trains and hires neighborhood youths to man the computers for queries from American mobile telephone users.

The new law declares that “it is the policy of the State to establish a clean, complete, permanent and updated list of voters through the adoption of biometric technology”. It was passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate in December 2012.

The municipal Local Government Unit of Lagawe is confident that they had all eligible voters registered in their system. Regional officials from the three participating barangays or administrative units, which are Jucbong, Montabiong and Abinuan, extended their help to the LGU of Lagawe and Election Commission during the registration process.

MYEG Philippines Inc is partnering the Philippines’ Land Bank to launch its first phase of digital e-government services in the Philippines.

In a statement today, MyEG Services Bhd said the commencement of online services by its unit in partnership, will bring “added convenience to the people of the Philippines in transacting with the government”.

The country has over 1800 marine protected areas and majority of them are under the jurisdiction of local government units. These regulated areas include marine parks, marine reserves and landscapes where certain activities such as fishing are not allowed.

The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Umar El-Yakub, has reiterated the government’s commitment to developing smart cities with world-class designs, new building technology and innovations.

This was as plans were unveiled to construct Abuja Diaspora Smart City, a model city that would provide 17,000 housing units.

The Forum, which brought together 130 senior decision maker from all the major agencies, became a platform for the Philippine Government’s IT champions to discuss their progress, successes, and challenges in e-Governance.

Remarks of USAid Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy 2nd at the 3rd annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum on Oct. 29, 2020.

This year’s Indo-Pacific Business Forum, organized by the US government, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, brings together senior government representatives, private sector CEOs, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations throughout the region and around the world to discuss trade promotion and investment aimed at increasing economic growth in the Indo-Pacific region. This event also underscores the close economic ties shared by the United States and the region, as well as our commitment to the region’s long-term, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The Philippines is still not close to achieving even half of the target to transform urban centers into "smart cities," urban planner Felino "Jun" Palafox Jr. said.

Palafox told The Manila Times in an exclusive interview that despite citizens' cooperation, the country is still not close to achieving its target to transform urban centers into smart cities. He also blamed local officials for not cooperating.

Pasay City makes history as it announced the development of Pasay Eco City, the first truly sustainable eco city in the Philippines.

“We have established, among other things, our grand vision that integrates economic prowess with being environmentally sound and sustainable—Pasay City as the first ever Eco City in the country,” proclaimed Pasay Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano.

Based on the UN E-Government Survey 2014, the Philippines was categorized to be in the “Middle EGDI” together with 73 other countries. There are, meanwhile, 25 countries ranked to have very high EGDI, led by Republic of Korea and Australia; 62 countries with high EGDI; and 32 countries with low EGDI.