In a survey conducted by the UN, the Philippines shared the 17th rank with Austria in countries that use web-measure index, which assessed the quality of government websites and the level of utilization of information and communications technology tools in government.
It said that the Philippines is one of the 191 countries effectively using e-government system either to provide information and establish internet-based interactive and transactional services.
At the top of the survey were the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Republic of Korea and Denmark.
The survey also noted that the Philippines ranked 4th in e-government readiness among countries in Asia, next only to Singapore, Republic of Korea and Japan.
"E-government readiness takes into account the web-measure index and the level of telecommunications infrastructure and human capital development," said DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal.
He said a panel at the 7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government at the UN Headquarters in Vienna last June 28 cited the partnerships between the Philippine government and the private sector to monitor polluters through the Bantay-Usok and Bantay-Kalikasan programs as models of how technology stirs the interest of the citizens to participate actively in governance.
"This observation affirmed a UN report issued in 2006 which identified the Philippines as one of the top 25 countries in the world that are employing technology or e-government tools to the fullest," he added.
Further, the Philippines' integrated portal www.gov.ph was also described as one of the best and could be considered a good practice.
It also pointed out that it is one of the few national sites in the world that offer a wireless access alternative for users, either through Short Message Service, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) or through a Pocket PC section.
Also, the Philippines ranked 15th in the e-participation index, which "provide access and opportunity to the citizen through development of participatory initiatives via ICT."
"The e-participation index assessed how relevant and useful the e-participation features of government websites around the world are; and how well they are deployed by governments for promoting participatory decision-making," Cristobal said.
The top 10 countries according to this index were the UK, US, Singapore, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Mexico, Australia and the Netherlands.
However, the UN survey also stressed the need for the Philippines to continue improving the level of telecommunications infrastructure to fully implement e-governance.
In the general survey of e-government readiness, the Philippines ranked 41st among 179 countries.
The report, "UN Global E-Government Readiness Report: From E-government to E-inclusion" was published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2006.
Autor(en)/Author(s): (PNA)
Quelle/Source: Balita, 04.07.2007
