Iloilo to get aid from Microsoft to boost digital transformation

ILOILO CITY — Microsoft will extend technical assistance to Iloilo City to help in the digital transformation of its governance, health and education sectors.

Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez, Microsoft regional director for corporate, external and legal affairs in Southeast Asia, met with Mayor Jose Espinosa III Friday afternoon and discussed the possible assistance.

Tuminez is an Ilonggo, whose mother hails from Guimaras.

“She wants to help Iloilo City at no cost for us,” said Espinosa.

They will be coming up with applications that would make it easier for Ilonggos to access the services of the city government, Espinosa said.

A team from the city government will be working with Microsoft to implement the digitization program.

Microsoft also helped the city government in coming up its Online Transaction Tracking System (CityServ Application) for the City Assessor’s Office. This allows clients to make simple transactions such as transfer, reclassification, rectification and discovery to monitor the status of their requests.

Espinosa said the initiative, when implemented, will boost the status of the city, which last month was identified by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as potential digital city.

“We have been working on it,” he said citing that the slow Internet connection is among the areas that need to be addressed.

However, Espinosa said that there is still no timeline when the city will become a digital city. (PNA)