San Carlos City turns COVID-19 app into all-around e-services app
Negros Occidental’s San Carlos City has turned its COVID-19 mobile application into an allaround e-services app that allows users to get news updates and track the status of requested documents and businessrelated transactions.
The mobile app was initially rolled out as a COVID-19 contact tracing tool called Vamos or Viral Assessment and Monitoring System at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The name reflects the “Vamos, San Carlos!” tagline of the province’s northernmost locality.
Almost a year later, the app was upgraded to become the Vamos Cares or Community App for reliable e-Services.
“Being a performing city, San Carlos must continue to develop, adjust, change, and create new capabilities that align sustainability with better service. Vamos significantly aided in growing our efforts, particularly [when] the COVID-19 pandemic struck,” Joseph Binghay, officer-in-charge of the Information Technology and Computer Services Office (ITCSO), said in a video message to mark the second year of Vamos Cares.
As of yesterday, the app’s newest update, Vamos Newsfeed, has now been made available and provides daily news articles, updates, and announcements from around the city, and allows users to also like and post a comment on articles.
“We are encouraging other government offices, agencies and organizations to also announce and share news that’s relevant and related to the city. We can provide a link where you can share your announcements and news,” the ITCSO said.
A feature called Document Tracking (DocTrack), a tool which monitors the status and whereabouts of relevant documents, is now also online.
Through DocTrack, the user can search, view and access information related to a certain document.
Government employees can track the status of their documents such as payrolls, letters, travel order and application for leave, while business owners and suppliers can also track the status of their business applications, renewal, purchase orders, and payments.
Using the feature, national government offices, non-government organizations and private companies can monitor the status of their letter requests and other pertinent documents, while citizens may also track their documents pertaining to certain government transactions.
“With this new update, users can easily track their documents by entering their document number into the search bar or by simply scanning the supplied QR [quick response] code,” the ITCSO said.
Aside from news and announcements and document tracking, the app also has features on emergency response, law enforcement, medical information, utility bills and payments, business permits and taxes, e-tickets, events and reservations, and tourism and marketing.