Fighting corrupt practices by IT-based processes: LGUs to vie in eGov Awards
By Jason B. Neola
Bicol Mail
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| DILG Secretary Robredo (third from left) signs the memo-ag together with Atty. Batapa-Sigue and CCTP President George Sorio (second and fourth from left, respectively), as NICP Board Member-Albay ICT Chairperson Rosemarie Q. Rey (leftmost) looks on. The signing, witnessed by regional, provincial directors and representatives of DILG, DOST, DOTC, TESDA, CHED, DTI, PIA, LGU-Naga (with Vice Mayor Gabriel H. Bordado Jr. and members of the city council) and LGU-CamSur, was organized and hosted by the ICT@Bicol headed by President E. Daniel de Leon. ICT@Bicol is the recognized ICT Council of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines. |
Local Government Units (LGUs) will vie for top honors in a friendly competition under a public-private partnership that advocates for the advancement of transparency, excellence and good governance in public service.
This, after the 1st LGU eGov Awards for 2012 was launched here Saturday, June 2, this year, with the signing of a memorandum of agreement by and among representatives of the Department of Interior and Local Government, the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines and the Cyber City Teleservices, Inc.
The event, which was held at La Piazza, Avenue Plaza Hotel on the said date was organized and hosted by the ICT@Bicol headed by E. Daniel A. De Leon.
The memo-ag sets up the appropriate coordination among the three entities in carrying out the two-category search, namely, the Best in eGov Customer Empowerment (G2C) Award and the Best in eGov Business Empowerment (G2B) Award.
The Search, which will have its awards night in November, this year, in Sta. Rosa Laguna, during the 5th National ICT Summit, has the following evaluation criteria: Innovative management (25 pts.), Impact (25 pts.), Relevance (25 pts.), and Replication Potential (25 pts.).
The G2C award recognizes the measurable effect of an LGU’s outstanding practices in applying ICT solutions in the education and engagement of the public in the use of electronic facilities/channels towards providing improved, timely, and relevant delivery of public services.
The G2B award is given to LGUs who are lauded for their practices in integrating ICT solutions and commitment of its administration in its responsiveness to the needs of business enterprises, thereby creating business opportunities.
DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo, however, stressed that what is more important in the search is not so much the tool that the LGUs will be using in measuring or determining its capability, but the outcomes it will give the LGU to come up with effective strategies, mechanisms, and systems to better served the constituents.
He cited as a good example the “e-Governance: The Naga City experience” report given by Mayor John G. Bongat during the same gathering wherein the latter discussed his city administration’s ICT-anchored best practices that made it to earn more recognition in different fields of governance.
The Naga City Government uses ICT for information openness and transparency, interactive engagement, inclusive governance, and innovative management.
In an interview, Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, president of NICP, said the project’s main objectives are to encourage the effective and efficient utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) in the delivery of services and performance of the duties and responsibilities, to commend, collate, and document the best practices of LGUs in integrating ICT in their processes to serve as example and to benchmark best practices by other local governments.
She said that apart from the promotion of transparency in governance, eGov Awards also aims to improve the LGUs’ business ecosystem and motivate the private and business sector to actively participate and/or invest in the growth of the local government units.
ICT@Bicol President Daniel de Leon said eGov Awards aims to share the vision of establishing indices for LGUs in harnessing the potentials of ICT towards raising the bar in the delivery of public services.
He said: “By drawing attention to the best practices in integrating ICT capabilities and solutions, the different sectors of society, including LGUs, are enabled in their roles as catalyst of change, anchored in the Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS), the Philippine ICT Roadmap 2011-2016.”
Among those who graced the event and one of the memo-ag signatories was Engr. George D. Sorio, president of Cyber City Teleservices, (Phils.), Inc.
CCTP is a globally recognized call center in the Philippines which is partnering with NICP to perform the tasks and responsibilities prescribed to NICP, manage and provide the logistics for the program subject to consultation/coordination with DILG and NICP and provide the cash prizes, trophies and awards for the winners.
For details/inquiries on the “eGov Awards,” please visit the ICT@Bicol Secretariat at WRI Colleges (Tel. Nos. 054. 472.8733 and 054.472.1523), Concepcion Grande, this city.
