DOST-ICT awards cities for 'e-readiness'

Several Philippine cities were recognized for their "e-readiness" at the recently concluded 2014 e-readiness Leadership Awards last June 18 at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila. 

 

A special plaque of recognition was given by the  Information and Communications Technology Office of DOST (DOST - ICT) Office  to: 

The city mayors of the cities were feted for pioneering the adoption and strategic use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to enhance their delivery of government services, improve revenue/tax collection efforts and promote transparency in government operations.

 

The criteria for the awards were based on the recently-concluded e-readiness Assessment Survey, a joint project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Science and Information Technology (DOST) and the Department of  Trade and Industry (DTI), with support from the the US-AID INVEST Project.

 

The DOST - ICT carried out the e-readiness assessment of 143 cities that participated in the 2014 BPLS Compliance and e-readiness Survey. 

 

Bettina Quimson of the DOST-ICT Office said, “e-readiness means that these LGU’s are ready for E-Government. True E-Government will not only foster an efficient, transparent and effective government that our citizens need, it will also give the Philippines a competitive edge in the global market place, creating an investment environment that can help drive local and foreign investment in the country.”

 

The framework to evaluate the e-readiness of local government units is based on several indicators.  Among the major indicators used to assess the LGU’s e-readiness are: 

Other sub-indicators included the following: presence of an ICT Development Plan, internet connectivity, presence of an ICT/MIS unit.  

 

In general, e-readiness was defined as the preparedness of the LGU to implement ICT projects and to participate in major ICT project initiatives such as E-Government, Smarter Cities and other projects that aim to exploit the opportunities and potentials offered by the effective and strategic use of ICT. — TJD, GMA News