Incorporating participation in the Philippines eLGU project

1
Incorporating participation in the Philippines
e-LGU project

• Erwin A. Alampay
• National College of Public Administration and
  Governance, University of the Philippines

2
e-LGUs Objectives

• Determine LGU e-Readiness
• Promote awareness among local officials
• Provide web-enabled, open-source based tax and
  property information systems
• Establish LGU web presence
• Help LGUs establish Information System plans
• Facilitate data sharing and information exchange
  between government agencies and LGUs

3
e-LGU project

• Website development
• to provide LGUs with an interactive web-presence
  on the Internet
• Revenue generation systems
• to help improve and make transparent the
  assessment and collection of property and other
  taxes
• Access to ICTs through CeCs
• to provide the public with affordable access to
  varied services

4
Status of Website Development
LGU Web-presence
Source National Computer Centre (as of Sept. 30,
2005)
5
Issues regarding Website Development

• Under-utilized
• 74 are still at emerging phase
• Many sites have not been updated
• Few efficiency enhancing services are available
• Negligible use by LGUs for participation and
  decision-making
• Poor Awareness among people

6
Status of Revenue Generation Systems

• Of three systems being developed only one, the
  eRPTS has a fully developed system
• No LGU is in full implementation stage
• Software development problems associated with
  variations in how LGUs compute and assess taxes
  (customization issues)

7
Issues regarding e-LGU software devt.

• Focused on revenues not much on planning
• Innovate vs. standardize Local Govt. Code
  impeding standardization
• Un-open source

8
Status of CeCs

• Coordinated with other departments, LGUs and NGOs
• Objective est. 100 CeCs per year (w/ 2 per
  region)
• As of November 2005, forty-nine (49) CeCs were
  already operational

9
Issues re CeCs

• Limitations of the TELOF network
• Ignores other ICT infrastructure and more apt
  techs.
• Availability not equates to use
• Need to consider demand-side issues
• Distance
• Capabilities
• needs

10
Recommendations

• Give LGUs more control over the content
• Develop other systems aside from revenue
  generation (i.e. integrated into planning)
• Develop common standards for database
  architecture
• Share source codes and develop an open-source
  community for LGU systems
• Consider more appropriate technologies, esp. SMS
  as a means for delivering e-government services
  and encouraging peoples participation
• Create a culture that encourages knowledge
  sharing in government