Angeles City beefs up e-governance

THE Angeles City government has upgraded its electronic governance with a new computerized network infrastructure.

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said this is in line with the city’s goal to be the next “smart city” following Tarlac City’s implementation of online transactions using a web portal and mobile telephone applications--the first in Central Luzon.

The computerization project, which started in 2002 was certified ISO 9001:2003 by the Certification International Philippines, making Angeles City the first ISO-certified local government unit outside Metro Manila.

Under the current project, all transactions in the city hall will be cashless and paperless, in accordance with the city government’s agenda on the ease of doing business.

Meanwhile, Lazatin’s Chief Adviser and Tactician Director IC Calaguas said that apart from the online transaction system, the city government also plans to install 14 facial recognition machines for time-keeping system for all city hall employees.

Information Communications and Technology Division ( ICTD) Head Michael Lising said that once they are done with the cabling, the online system will be put in place so they can start testing the cashless and paperless transactions particularly for business and Real Property Tax (RPT) payments.

As part of their preparations, the ICTD upgraded the city hall’s network equipment and internet connection in order to make the online payment more efficient.

The ICTD installed 16 data cabinets around the city hall and consolidated all its networks to create a centralized server as well as designating a data server room where all the offices can have their own back-up that will make data storage more efficient.

Once installed, the whole system will be subjected for testing first to ensure a smooth operation, avoid possible glitches, and provide immediate solutions.