I have previously written about mobile and online services of Phihealth.

There was the Philhealth mobile service that let’s you access your Philhealth number and other details. Read my Philhealth article on Pinoytechblog. And I also wrote on eOFW.net about healthcare through Philhealth online .

Thus, it’s a pleasant addition to Philhealth’s e-government services to see that Philhealth individually-paying members can now make Philhealth payments using their mobile phone and their airtime load.

Philhealth Remittance-by-Air

Dubbed “Remittance-by-Air”, members can send their P100 monthly contribution from the convenience of their own home.

To complete a transaction, members must ensure that the mobile phone they are using has an existing credit of at least P115.

Members have to type PHICPhilhealth identification number (PIN) [Ex. PHIC 120123456789] and send it to 7442.

The system will send back the PIN with the corresponding name of the member for confirmation. If the name is correct, the member will be required to reply PHICYES to 7442.

Upon completion of the transaction, the amount of P115 will be deducted from the member’s phone load. P100 of the total amount will cover the premium for one month, while the remaining P15 will pay for transaction fee.

The member will then receive a thank you note and the reference number as proof of payment. This service is available for Smart and Talk N Text subscribers.

What’s interesting is that even OFWs will be able to avail of this service using a mobile phone with roaming service.

Related links:

• Remittance-by-Air launched on TV
• Philhealth now accepts payment through mobile (Inquirer.net)

All Healthy!
ka edong

e-Government on Technobiography is published on Wednesdays. See e-Government category for more articles.

This week for my e-Government article, I write about government websites related to volunteer work. I chose this topic to expose my readers to more opportunities to be of service to our country. (Visit www.edwinsoriano.com for my list of volunteer programs in the Philippines)

This article features the Volunteer Registry by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) under NEDA.

The Volunteer Registry by the DSWD

The Volunteer Registry by DSWD

About the Volunteer Registry

In its effort to mobilize volunteers for disaster risk management and response, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the Online Registry of Volunteers last January 23,2007.

The registry is a proactive step in preparing for natural and man-made disasters. It will serve as the national database of volunteers for disaster operations and facilitate the deployment of appropriate volunteers to an emergency or disaster operation.

The site has an on-going registry of individual volunteers and organization volunteer.

I signed-up as an individual volunteer. I was asked, among other things, for info about my background, the type of volunteer work I could pitch in, emergency contact information etc.  The information will be used when volunteers are needed in cases of emergency or disaster operations.

The Organization Volunteer page allows an organization to register as a “group” volunteer. This could be a good opportunity for Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

Read more about the Volunteer Registry and their FAQs.

Contact the DSWD Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau
Telephone:     (632) 931-81-01 local 405
Or visit their website at http://vrplus.dswd.gov.ph

Volunteer Registry e-Gov Scorecard*:

• Stage 1: Emerging – 5 of 5
• Stage 2: Enhanced – 4 of 5
• Stage 3: Interactive – 3 of 5
• Stage 4: Transactional – 2 of 5

Conclusion: The Volunteer Registry is a Stage 3 Interactive e-Government Website

PNVSCA

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA)

The PNVSCA “is the government agency in charge of promoting and coordinating all volunteer service matters in the Philippines.”

They have three categories for volunteer programs:

1. Local Volunteer Programs – Filipinos volunteering in their own area
2. Volunteer Exchange Programs – Filipinos volunteering in other countries
3. International Volunteer Service Programs – Foreigners doing volunteer work in the Philippines

Let’s focus on how Filipinos can volunteer in their own area.

There is the Volunteers for Information and Development Assistance (VIDA) program which taps the skills of Filipinos for development projects in communities where they live.

The Volunteers for Information and Development Assistance (VIDA) Program is the platform for local volunteering designed for Filipino volunteers who wish to share their skills and know how in the development projects of their own community. It provides youths and adults the opportunity to hone their skills further through volunteering.

Visit the VIDA program webpage for the application procedure or to download the application form.

Bayanihang Bayan is a Volunteer Program for Government Service

Bayanihang Bayan builds cooperation between government and the private sector in enjoining the participation of Filipino youths, mid-career professionals, retirees and overseas Filipinos in the implementation of government programs and projects.

The Bayanihang Bayan program engages various government agencies as implementing partners.

1. For the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), volunteers can help implement training, scholarships or accreditation programs.
2. The Department of Environment and Natural Resouces (DENR) has volunteer programs like adopt-a-mountain, coastal clean-ups or tamaraw conservation.
3. The Department of Education (DepEd) has programs such as adopt-a-school, teaching development, learning support etc.
4. The Department of Health (DOH) implements medical services outreach programs with volunteers
5. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) implements professional services and capacity building.

The PNVSCA provides downloadable forms, feature stories and photographs of volunteers and their very own blog.

Visit PNVSCA the website at http://www.pnvsca.neda.gov.ph/
Contact the PNVSCA for more details.

e-Gov Scorecard*:

• Stage 1: Emerging – 5 of 5
• Stage 2: Enhanced – 4 of 5
• Stage 3: Interactive – 1 of 5
• Stage 4: Transactional – 0 of 5
  

Conclusion: The PNVSCA has a Stage 2 Enhanced e-Government Website

* The e-Government Scorecard is based on UN-ASPA Stages of e-Government as adopted by Digital Philippines for its study on e-Government.

ka edong
volunteer

e-Government on Technobiography is published on Wednesdays. See e-Government category for more articles.

In this article, we discuss how the DOH is providing information about Swine Flu. The article continues to showcase the information and features of the DOH website. – ka edong

With all the news about the Swine Flu virus, it’s important to raise *rational* awareness (and not *fear*) about the epidemic. In the Philippines, the DOH is at the helm of situations like these.

What does the DOH website have to offer for this current health alert and for other health concerns?
Here is this week’s review of government websites.

DOH Website April 29, 2009

Let’s start with the pressing issue at the moment: Here is the official statement of DOH on the Swine Flu situation. It’s prominently displayed on the front page. But I’m searching for more up-to-date information and I can’t find it on DOH at the moment.

For Flu reports: immediately report to:
National Epidemiology Center and/or the Health Emergency Management Staff. (DOH HOTLINE: 7111001 / 7111002)

Now for the website review. I’ll start with a recap of what we wrote about the DOH website back in 2002 when we first studied e-government.

DOH – Stage 3
The DOH website features statistics, advisories, information on health programs, policies, and FAQs on Diseases. They have downloadable application forms (MSWord format) for hospital accreditation, checklists and requirements. Various databases are also available.

Basic Information

The DOH website has all of the basic information expected from a government website. It has the department information including names, contact numbers and email addresses of key officials, org structures, a location map and even the department budget!

The website has a compilation of health advisories, laws, events and promos.

There’s a long list of health programs ranging from Food and waterborne diseases, new born screening, Family Planning, Smoking cessation program, Blood Donation, Dengue Control Program, Food Fortification Program. Clicking the links will provide the reader with more information about the program. Some health programs have weblinks to the specific program website featuring more in-depth information.

The DOH portal has some health knowledge products that includes a good compilation of Health Statistics. There’s a section on news clippings – literally clipped from print-publications, scanned and filed online — an outdated way of archiving knowledge, really.

They have publications, research and statistics, and databases (in excel or plain table format).

There’s the Fourmula One program which provides details on the Roadmap for health sector reforms in the PHilippines (2005-2010). Health events includes a calendar of activities, seminars and conferences.

There are a few downloadable templates including a form for the Philippine Registry for Persons with Disability.

Some “Remarkables”

• The DOH as an online facility for publishing job openings, or “e-jobs” . It provides details for projects or consultancies and includes a template for writing an application CV. Attached agencies can post their openings online (requires login).
• For transparency, DOH has a section that describes doing business with the department.  It contains information for the complete cycle from Procurement, Licensing and Regulation and Accreditation. Important also for transparency is the “Notice of Awards” that announces all business/professional engagements done by the department.
• There is a Web-enabled price monitoring info system described as “a user-friendly, microcomputer system designed for fast and efficient monitoring of drug and office supplies prices and reporting.The system will allow you to manipulate, combine and extract information from multiple database files. ” I couldn’t tell how well it works as it requires a login for authorized personnel.
• The website has a wide inventory of FAQs! Topics range from diseases, to health programs and even website FAQs. I see that each of the FAQs are maintained by a specific group or attached agency — all good for ownership and accountability.
• The search section let’s you extract articles based on your keyword.
• There’s a food fortification program that provides search functionality and gives access to documents in DOH library. Useful for students who want to do advance research before visiting the DOH library.
• The National Epidemiology Center has a software for “handling epidemiologic data in questionnaire format and for organizing study designs and results into text that may form part of written reports.” — In essence (i think), it’s a software that can be used to track an epidemic.
• The DOH website has forums setup, but it does not have much recent activity. They have an Intranet and a DOH webmail service. There’s also a mobile service that let’s the public send SMS messages to the DOH Secretary’s office.

Evaluation

The DOH has obviously invested resources into putting together a professional-looking website. The Department portal has a seamless appearance but the different program websites or agency websites are obviously maintained in a de-centralized fashion. I think that will be the trend for most department websites.

There is a lot of information in the website but it looks like it’s not easy for a first time visitors to find the information they are looking for. The website can use some improvement in the way they do “Search”. For instance, I encountered at least four search functions in the website. Visitors will definitely benefit from a consolidated search (and I know this is not easy to do for a de-centralized collection of websites).

Perhaps the DOH is more of a knowledge, awareness and monitoring agency. Apart from employment and service engagement, I do not see any G2C (Government to Citizen) transactions done online.

I’m sure there’s more than meets the eye behind the DOH website. Perhaps it’s just a matter of understanding how a truly interested visitor can make good use of the website.

Scorecard:

• Stage 1: Emerging – 5 of 5
• Stage 2: Enhanced – 5 of 5
• Stage 3: Interactive – 4 of 5
• Stage 4: Transactional – 0 of 5
  

Conclusion: The DOH Website is an Stage 3 Interactive e-Government Website

Contact DOH:
Address: 2006 Republic of the Philippines, Department of Health
San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila
Telephone: (+632) 743-8301 to 23
Website: http://www.doh.gov.ph
Contact: http://www.doh.gov.ph/contact_us

Text DOH
To all mobile users: Type doh or dohsec [space] [message]. Send to 2960 for all subscribers.

p.s. The Philhealth website is a different story and deserves its own separate website review.

ka edong
healthy – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual

Three years ago, I took a boat to Coron and saw how each and every passenger’s photo is taken by a webcam during pre-departure. I surmised this was a security measure.

This year, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is offering cell phone load worth P50 for each validated report of safety violations of shipping lines.

Text a safety violation, get free load

This is an innovative safety measure where citizen-participation is encouraged. I see at least two benefits and a down-side to this program.

(See full article from the Philippine Star: Alert passengers to get ‘pasa load’ )

Benefits

First, MARINA is engages citizen passengers – the seafaring public – to report safety violations.  Safety violations include:

• Overloading,
• No or not enough life jackets,
• Smelly lifejackets,
• Intoxicated duty ship officials and crew,
• No directional signs on board the ship,
• Ship’s crew not in proper uniform, and
• Dirty and smelly toilets.

I could imagine that this is a good reporting and feedback campaign. We know from the past sea tragedies in the Philippines that we haven’t been upholding enough safety policies.  This will also help increase accountability of both ship operators and the coast guard.

Second, the campaign increases the awareness of citizens. The campaign gives citizens a level of influence or responsibility over their own safety.

How to report a safety violation:

The public can send their report by texting
marina_sumbong_ name/location/violation/vessel name to 2985.

Will the campaign work?

I hope so! Let’s do our share in avoiding another sea tragedy!

I just wonder whether the campaign is getting enough mileage in increasing awareness. I don’t travel by boat, so I couldn’t tell whether the campaign is reaching enough of it’s target audience.

If you did see this campaign when you rode the boat, do share.

I also see that the incentive — free cellphone load — is bound by limitations. The free load will be given only if the safety violation is verified. This is, of course, a control  — we don’t want the P50 reward to be given to bogus reports.

Downside of this control, though, is that it reduces the incentive. We know that a reward is more effective when given almost instantly.

Let’s see how the campaign goes. If you have an experience with this campaign, do share in the comments section below.

Have a safe trip! And have a meaningful Holy Week!

ka edong
safety first

e-Gov on Technobiography is published every Wednesday morning. See e-Government category for more articles.

In this article, we discuss the wealth of information available at the BIR website, the wide menu of electronic services both online and via mobile. We also share a first-hand experience in using the BIR Portal and filing taxes online. If you have experiences using BIR’s e-government services, do share. – ka edong

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has a very important role in the Philippine economy. It helps gather enough “contributions” (otherwise known as “taxes”) from individuals and enterprises to give our country enough “operating cash” to build roads and bridges.

BIR website banner

When we studied the BIR website in 2002, it was one of the websites that was given a relatively high-rating of Stage 3 or Interactive e-government website. Excerpt from the 2002 study:

The BIR’s stage 3 website has an Electronic Filing and Payment System (eFPS) in its website. e-Filing (the online submission of income tax returns including attachments) and e-Payment (paying income taxes through the internet banking facilities of Authorized Agent Banks) facilities are currently available for large corporate taxpayers. eFPS will be available to Small and Medium Corporations by the year 2003.

Let’s see how far the BIR has developed through the years.

The BIR website: www.bir.gov.ph

On the main page of BIR, it’s easy to tell that BIR has continued to extend its web presence through many online tools.

Starting with the basics, the following information are readily available through a link on the front page:

• Directory – with names, email addresses and contact numbers; increases accountability
• Tax Information – a very good reference for all kinds of tax from capital gains tax to Donor’s Tax
• Registration Info – includes Tax Identification Number application process and requirements
• FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions about the website
• The website also includes an About page , Announcements , Updates , Issuances and rulings, Legal matters and Archives

• Special Sites include the Tax Code, Tax Calendar, BIR Forms, Zonal Values, Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and the PSIC/PSOC.

A note on the BIR Forms. All major forms are downloadable from the BIR website. Forms are available in zipped excel or pdf format. They are all FREE to download and print. Good to have your forms printed and filled-up in the convenience of your home or office even before you reach the BIR office.

There’s a wealth of information in the BIR website. It is very generous with information – this helps the organization manage inquiries by allowing citizens to find the information themselves on the BIR website.

Now for the exciting part…

BIR’s e-services

• eSubmission is a simple hyperlink to an email address where citizens can submit their Alphalist (Annual/MAP/SAWT). The link automatically inserts the email address, subject and the information required for the submission.
• eTIN (not available at time of visit) is an online registration of Tax Identification Number. Excerpt from a press release:
  “Registering with the BIR is now easier through the implementation of the “TIN on the Web” project (also known as the eTIN system) starting on March 24, 2003. Through the eTIN sytem, taxpayers classified as professionals will have the convenience of getting their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) merely by visiting the BIR Website at www.bir.gov.ph. The eTIN system is currently limited to issuance of TIN for new registrants classified as professionals.”
• eBroadcasting – Tax payment made by taxpayers to the BIR through Accredited Agent Banks (AABs) can be confirmed within 48 hours from transaction date via Short Messaging Services (SMS), BIR Web, and e-mail.
• E – Report Card – The E-Report Card is an application intended to provide Tax Performance Information to taxpayers (particularly the Large Taxpayers of different industries) vis-à-vis pre-defined industry benchmark.
• PayBIR is a project initiated by BIR to support its Tax Collection Drive. Through the PAYBIR service, taxpayers may now pay their tax of P10,000 and below by a simple text message.
• e-Complaint is intended to be an electronic system by which taxpayers may report complaints against erring BIR employees. Citizens can also Text their complaint .
• eAccreg – Online Accreditation and Registration of CRM/POS!
• eSales -  Electronic Sales Reporting System. This service enables businesses to report their Sales via 3 channels: SMS, Email, Web. Note: I couldn’t find the Web channel, it looks like it isn’t functioning yet.
• Other e-Services: eTCVD (Tax Compliance Verification Drive), eLAMS, TINVER (TIN Verification System)

Premyo Sa Resibo

A Mobile Raffle Contest

It is also worthwhile to mention the highly effective campaign of BIR, Premyo Sa Resibo. In essence, the BIR gathered a huge amount of sales data by encouraging consumers to send in Official Receipt information. The OR info is sent via text and the sender is entitled to a raffle ticket which could win in a weekly draw or a jackpot of as much as 1 million pesos!

There’s a lot of good points in this contest.

• First, it instills the habit of asking for an OR for every commercial transaction. This helps ensure that the correct taxes are paid by the enterprise selling the product/service.
• Second, it gathers information easily via SMS through citizen reporting.
• Third, it doesn’t cost BIR to collect this information (in fact it is the citizen who shoulders the cost of the SMS sent in exchange for a chance to win the jackpot).
• Fourth, the contest gathers a huge amount of information that helps the BIR identify erring business taxpayers.

Beautiful, this contest-and-data-mining initiative!

The centerpiece of the BIR online services

eFPS

e-Filing and Payment System (eFPS)

The eFPS “allows taxpayers to electronically process and transmit tax return information including attachments, and taxes due thereon to the government over to the internet”

From the eFPS FAQs:

What is e-Filing?
e-Filing is the process of electronically filing returns including attachments, if any, specifically through the internet.

What is e-Payment?
e-Payment is the process of electronically paying a tax liability through the internet banking facilities of Authorized Agent Banks (AABs).

Why do we need to use eFPS? What are its objectives?
With eFPS, taxpayers can avail of a paperless tax filing experience and can also pay their taxes online through the convenience of an internet-banking service via debit from their enrolled bank account.

First-hand user experience

I tried enrolling myself in eFPS today.

Unfortunately, after several attempts, I couldn’t get through the online enrollment form. I received errors: “TIN is not registered in the BIR database” and “Branch Number has no value”.

I was able to enroll in BIR Portal, though, and didn’t encounter any errors upon registration. I noticed though that  that the registration process doesn’t seem to verify my email address – a security concern, I would say. After an hour or so, I tried to log-in again. Now I couldn’t get in despite several attempts entering the correct username, password and variations of my TIN (9 digits, 12 digits). I used the “forgot password” function, got a new password but still couldn’t login.

But there is work to do, thus I continue…

From the eFPS FAQs, I see that there is a 3-10 days processing of the online enrollment, afterwhich the enrollee should expect to receive an email notification from BIR about the registered eFPS account.

The e-Filing and e-Payments should be very convenient. My friend Rick tells me how much time is spent filing his business’s BIR documents each month! After trudging to the BIR office and lining-up in the heat of summer, he submits his form and all BIR does is receive the form.

E-Filing and e-Payments should help individuals, entrepreneurs and corporations alike to save on time and resources by filing and paying online.

e-Payments are done via Authorized Agent Banks. E-Payments makes use of the Bank’s existing online banking facility to transfer payments to BIR. Kudos to BIR for making these partnerships with banks possible!

All eFPS transactions have reference numbers which can be used as “proof” or each transaction.

Conclusion

All in all, I see the BIR continues developing online services which they started circa 2001. The online services help citizens transact more conveniently with BIR. The online services also helps ease the amount of human transactions that BIR needs to address given their limited manpower.

The BIR website is very information rich. Users of the BIR website would benefit a lot through navigation help tips. A site-wide search should be made available considering the wealth of information in the BIR website.

The BIR website could use some improvement in their search function, though.

Here’s a tip: Use Google to search within the bir.gov.ph website by typing “<keyword> site:bir.gov.ph” in Google’s search box.

The prominent navigation buttons on the left sidebar with links to the different e-services is a huge plus for visitors of the BIR website. The innovative use of mobile services is also a huge plus for BIR.

The way things are, I see how the BIR website is a collection of multiple e-services. One improvement area would be a streamlining of the various services for a unified interface. For instance, why should a user need to register in the BIR portal AND then again in the eFPS?

I look forward to seeing a more streamlined BIR website which would guide users in finding the transaction they need in just a few clicks. I’m sure this is a big challenge considering BIR probably has hundreds of types of transactions and a wide variety of users (entrepreneurs, SMEs, individuals, large corporate taxpayers).

Given that the BIR now has public user log-in to the BIR portal, secure transactions, on-line payments (through commercial Banks) and transaction confirmations,
the BIR website is a Stage Four e-Government website: Transactional Web Presence.

Visit the BIR website at www.bir.gov.ph
To start enjoying the BIR Portal experience, visit https://my.bir.gov.ph

BIR Contact Center : 981-8888; Trunkline: 9817000
email: contact_us@cctr.bir.gov.ph

BIR National Office Bldg.,
Agham Road, Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines

e-Gov on Technobiography is published every Wednesday morning. See e-Government category for more articles.
Next week: gov.ph

Related:

• BIR hopes Pacquiao spurs tax payments – Taps Boxing icon for ad
• Filing your income tax by SMS (Philippines)
• File your taxes online – BIR

ka edong
tax payer

I went to the NBI office at Carriedo back in November 2008. I knew from past experience that I couldn’t get my NBI clearance renewed at the mall-based kiosks because I have some namesakes who have a bad record in the NBI.

When I reached the Carriedo office, I’ve found that there were a few technology developments since my previous visit in 2005. Highly notable was the NBI Payment Kiosk System.

Payment Kiosk System

Payment is Step No. 1 in getting an NBI clearance. There is the usual manual payment line where a human cashier who accepts your payment. You’ll see from the photo below how long the lines are.

Step 1: NBI Payment - long lines at the manual cashiers

On the other hand, there is the Payment Kiosk System. It is set of automated machines that accepts payments like a vendo machine. This complements the manual payment made to a cashier.

And the lines a whole lot shorter! (photo after the jump) …

NBI Payment Kiosk

The Payment Kiosk accepts exact payment with one 100 peso bill and three 5 peso coins. This is the exact amount needed for one NBI clearance. Payments are given to the machine through a paper bill slot and a coin slot. The machine does not return any change.

NBI Payment Kiosk accepts exact change only

The Payment Kiosk has an interface that’s written both in English and Tagalog. To interact with the machine, the user gives input through a numeric keypad. Users will be asked to choose between “local” clearance or “international” clearance. If you need more than one clearance, you just need to go through the process twice.

NBI Payment Kiosk System interface - written in English and Filipino

After going through the automated payment process, the machine will print a receipt for the user. This is the receipt to be used in the next step of the clearance.

I wondered why the lines were so long at the manual payment, but so short at the machine payment. One thing is the awareness of people, perhaps a fear of technology, or a fear of failure. I think people are wary of making a mistake while using the machine and not having human assistance nearby to help avert or correct the mistake.

Why aren't people using the machines?

There were NBI (or contractor) employees nearby. When I asked them why only a few people use the machines, the employee ventured to say that it’s probably because people don’t have exact change. hmmm….

Here’s the tip

If the mall-based NBI kiosks can’t do your clearance and you have to go to Carriedo to get an NBI clearance, save yourself some sweat and some 20 minutes.

Instead of lining up at the manual cashier, use the Payment Machine Kiosk which will take just a minute for the same transaction.

Don’t forget to bring exact change: one P100 bill and three P5 coins.

And lastly, write your name on the receipt so that other people can’t use your receipt.

e-Gov on Technobiography is published every Wednesday morning. See e-Government category for more articles.
Next week: BIR’s Electronic Filing and Payment System.

ka edong
automated telling machine

I’ve been wanting to write more about a Government services for some time now. I’ve been writing about e-Government in the past on a low-level. But this time, I shall be more consistent. And I’ve found a way to be consistent about this.

What is e-Government?

Excerpt from wikipedia:
e-Government (short for electronic government, also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or transformational government) refers to the use of information and communication technology to provide and improve government services, transactions and interactions with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.

I shall write about e-Government. This is something very specific and highly aligned with my knowledge, expertise and passion for technology that enables people. Let me tell you more about my background in examining e-Government.

e-Government in the Philippines

In 2002 when I was connected with Digital Philippines Foundation, I co-authored a ground-breaking study on e-Government together with Prof Boying Lallana and Patricia Pascual.

It was entitled: “e-Government in the Philippines: Benchmarking against Global Best Practices“.

e-Government in the Philippines: Benchmarking against Global Best Practices

We evaluated hundreds of websites and determined their status at that time as one of 5 stages of e-Government:

• Stage 1 or “Emerging Web Presence” refers to a government website that serve as a basic public information source, indicated by FAQs, contact information and other static information about the agency.
• Stage 2 or “Enhanced Web Presence” refers to a government website that not only provide basic static information, this site is regularly updated, includes documents/resources that may be easily downloaded and has features that allow a site search and e-mail for queries/comments.
• Stage 3 or “Interactive Web Presence” refers to a government website that acts as a portal, with links to related sites. Users of this website can search specialized databases and forms can be downloaded or submitted online.
• Stage 4 or “Transactional Web Presence” refers to a government website that will allow users to directly access services based on specific needs. Since these sites are ultimately secure, users are able to conduct complete and secure transactions online.
• Stage 5 or “Fully Integrated Web Presence” refers to a country website where all services and links can be done through a single central portal and where all transactional services offered by government is made available online through a single integrated site .

Based on our study, there were some websites that did not even contain the contact information of the government agency. That was obviously just an emerging website.

There were some websites that allowed citizens to download forms, print them out and fill them out even before going to the government agency. That was a characteristic of an enhanced website.

Other websites had functions that allowed citizens to interact with citizens. Sometimes it was a feedback form, sometimes it was a forum.

There were websites that allowed citizens to conduct transactions online such as filing of tax returns. That was a transactional website.

The study we conducted was a trigger-point for President Arroyo to order the creation of www.gov.ph and the improvement of web presence of all government agencies. There was even a program led by the NCC which helped LGUs create their simple websites.

Visit this link for details of the study: e-Government in the Philippines: Benchmarking against Global Best Practices

e-Government on Technobiography

In this series on e-government, I will write a lot about government agency websites. I will take a snapshot of how the government website is at the time of my visit. I will talk about what features are available for citizens to use.

Apart from websites, I will also include stories about technology developments that help deliver government services. One example is the NBI and the machine that receives payments instead of lining up for a human cashier.

I know that I will be at the receiving end of many complaints which are more appropriately directed to the specific government agency. We get this kind of irate feedback all the time at eOFW.Net . I’m used to it and I allow people to vent their grievances. I know that these visitors don’t mean to attack me personally. Instead, they are just looking for a venue to give feedback. All that feedback can be used by the government agency however they wish. May Technobiography be a conduit to capture this feedback.

On a more positive note, I’ve found that Technobiography has been an effective repository for some useful citizen feedback. Most remarkable is my article “Panalo o Panloloko“, a joint-campaign of NTC with the telcos against Text scams. My post has evolved into a database of the latest SMS scams, the numbers and aliases used by the scammers. That article and the feedback collected has become Technobiography’s contribution to help avert potential crimes. I thank all those who have contributed their stories to that article.

My goal is to consistently write about e-government and help increase awareness of technology-enabled government services.

Through this e-government series on Technobiography, I aim to help more Filipinos with the power of information.

Information for Filipinos.
Power to the People!

ka edong
e-government ambassador

I saw this Job Hunting kiosk at the Lower Ground floor of Robinson’s Galleria near Thai Kitchen and Yellow Cab.

It has a touchscreen monitor. It’s main menu shows various databases of job openings from government job placement agencies like the Phil-Job.Net, OWWA, DOLE, POEA, TESDA, PRC etc.

I searched the database of Phil-Job.Net . Not bad. I’m not sure how up-to-date the information is. I’m sure there are better job placement websites (monster.com, jobstreet.com, jobsdb.com) but hey, this could help kahit papaano.

If you’re at the mall and looking for employment opportunities, try the Job Hunting Kiosk, you just might find your next great opportunity there!

More photos: job hunting kiosk.

Related: Job Hunting, touch screen, Kiosk

ka edong
opportunity knocks

I like how SM does their business. They aim to be a true one-stop shop for their patrons.

For example, their SM Business Service Center caters to people needing some specific government transactions. SM doesn’t put up these business centers as a direct-earning kiosk. Instead, the kiosk attracts more foot traffic to the mall which in turn brings more profits to the mall through purchases at other stalls.

And all SM needs to have is a printer and an Internet connection which gives them access to publicly-available e-Government services.

Anyway, services offered by the business center:

• Inquiry and Downloadable Forms on SSS (Employee Status Info, Benefit claim, Employment History, Loan Status, Other Claims)
• Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) Members Data Record
• Pag-ibig Forms
• Government Services Insurance System (GSIS) Membership Forms
• Land Transportation Office (LTO) Forms
• Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD)

In around 2003 while I was working with Digital Philippines Foundation, I conceptualized a way to promote e-Government services. Deliver online services through Netopia — advertise the government services through tarpaulins, educate the Netopia staff to help their patrons access government services . I guess SM beat them to it.

On a last note, I asked one SM Business service center attendant what the most common transaction is. She said, basically it’s printing out of SSS employee status info and similar forms.
ka edong
juan stop shop

I’m trying out some Securities and Exchange Commission online e-governance services:

The Philippine SEC offers the public the convenience of online registration through SEC-iRegister, the web-based Company Registration System of the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

SEC-iRegister is a quick, affordable, and user friendly service that is available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An easy, step-by-step guide allows everyone, even the computer novice, to use this web-based company registration system from the convenience of their desktop.

With SEC-iRegister, clients can do the following online:

• Verifying the availability of the desired name for corporation or partnership
• Reserving the verified name
• Accomplishing and printing the registration online without the need to buy the SEC forms

Too bad the iRegister website (http://iregister.sec.gov.ph/) isn’t loading today. Let me try contacting some friends at Sun Microsystems (I recall they were the backbone and developers of iRegister), and ask them “What’s up with that?!”

On a positive note, I’m glad SEC (http://www.sec.gov.ph/) has some downloadable pamphlets, documents, forms — all indicators of maturing e-government services.

ka edong
di pa i-registered, ahahay!