USAID assists Iloilo City in automation project

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Iloilo City is now working towards becoming e-ready with initial steps already being undertaken with the help of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Project SURGE (Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth and Equity).

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog met with representatives of USAID project SURGE last May and discussed priority projects, innovations and interventions aimed at making the city's delivery of services more efficient. Photo by JR Delfin.

City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) head Jose Ronie Peñalosa said that a team from USAID arrived in this city on Tuesday for a series of workshops on automation, which is part of the city government’s computerization project.

“We’re working towards e-readiness that would streamline transactions at the city hall such as on permit application and research data,” he explained. They would also be able to work on the Electronic New Government Accounting System (eNGAS) for the treasurer and accounting offices.

Through the automation project, offices would be able to encode data such that when needed will be available in just a mere click of the computer, he added.

“The direction is to make data, key information, accessible to the public. Part of that is really for transparency and accountability,” he stressed.

Peñalosa said that they are now in the stage of assessing the needs and capabilities of the offices. “Their intervention is helping us capacitate ourselves,” he cited.

With the assistance of the USAID, heads of the 20 department offices at the city hall will decide on what office will be linked with each other for shared generation, storing and management of data system, he explained further.

The five-year Project SURGE is also present in cities of Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Prinsesa and Zamboanga. Peñalosa added that they already have set their eyes in Iloilo City because it has been known for its progress, energy and focus, especially in the aspect of economic development with resilience and livability as a strategy.

“They are looking at these cities to show other cities in the Philippines how to do things better and efficiently by way of opening opportunities and showcasing what can be done given certain resources and some limitations,” he said. [via PNA]

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