DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/ 23 Oct) – Local government units in Mindanao must embrace e-governance to increase their efficiency, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Abul Khayr Alonto said.
In his speech during the Livelihood Exchange 2018 and Innovation Summit at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao Monday, Alonto said the government has been banking on e-governance initiatives to provide enhanced and efficient delivery of services to the stakeholders.
He said local governments must learn from the experience of Davao del Norte and the cities of General Santos and Cagayan de Oro that have started digitizing some of their services.
Davao del Norte was recognized in three different categories during the “Digital Cities PH (DCP) Awards” of the Department of Information and Communication Technology and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines held last week for adopting human resource and information systems, he said.
He added General Santos and Cagayan de Oro were also commended for their online services in business permitting and ID application for persons with disabilities, respectively.
Alonto added the signing last May of Republic Act 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business Act, is another milestone because it would digitize existing systems and establish electronic one-stop shops three years after its enactment.
“This effort to automate and expedite procedures through ICT looks at finally getting rid of the perennial challenge of bureaucratic red tape and provide our people with services that are both efficient and transparent,” he added.
He said they are working with the Department of Trade and Industry in providing startup and innovation support to micro, small and medium enterprises.
“Mindanao has a strong potential for a vibrant startup ecosystem so we hope that through LivEx, it can be scaled up to the global market through participation in the BIMP-EAGA,” he said.
While the secretary highlighted the integral role of technology in the country, he said he is also wary of its repercussions such as creating divides among the people and helping spread misinformation.
“This is why LivEx comes at an extremely crucial time. It is a platform wherein technology is seen as both an ally and a responsibility. An ally in a sense that it should assist us in shaping our ideals and realities into something more valuable and a responsibility because its influence can only depend on our capacity to utilize it for the greater good,” he said.
The Livex 2018 and Innovation Summit were attended by some 1,000 participants in the ICT sectors coming from the four member states of the BIMP-EAGA tackling “digital transformation and innovation ecosystem.”
The event was organized by ICT Davao in partnership with the city government, Department of Trade and Industry, DICT and MinDA.
The events aimed to encourage technology and outsourcing innovators to showcase their product or service; promote business-to-business meeting with BIMP-EAGA innovators and local industry cluster players; and develop the ICT industry cluster in Mindanao vis-à-vis the digital economy.
It tackled, among others, the government’s efforts at using technology to improve citizen engagement, increase broadband speed, and support for traditional outsourcing services. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)