It’s good news that the Philippine government is now slowly saying goodbye to the traditional work routine. Government offices used to be an environment where documents were not well-organized, and some processes are still done with ink and paper. To-date, over 100 million Filipinos regularly need access to filing documents such as tax forms, government loans, and pensions, bringing long queues of grumpy citizens.
The good news is, the heads of the Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) are now taking action on the citizen’s call for an efficient system by leveraging technology to streamline their work. It will be now using the Agency Records Inventory System (AgRIS) and the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
You may wonder what these are for.The AgRIS is a system that will use the government data center to keep track of all files, documents, and records kept by each government agency, which will complement the future implementation of a National Archives and Records Management (NARM) program. NARM will soon integrate citizen records. So, preparation and processing of document records are now expected to improve through speed of access (which could mean shorter queues and waiting times).
Because citizens are becoming aware of how they can use the internet for government transactions, an increasing number of government agencies use the internet for document requests and customer service. The PKI is the technology that will enable security for online government transactions and communications. It will use dual keys for sealing and opening documents online, as well as digital certificates for authentication and verification. Although not all citizens are savvy with computers (especially the seniors and those living in rural areas), these measures are expected to push citizens who do have access to the internet to look at this option.
These new solutions are part of the DOST-ICTO’s Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil), a project that aims to “create an interactive, interconnected, and interoperable government”, says iGovPhil project director Denis F. Villorente.
These applications and systems all contribute to more efficient government operations that redound to the benefit of the citizens through faster delivery of goods and services.
The government hopes that by using these technologies, all the complicated citizens services will be easier for Filipinos. For example, filing of taxes, and requesting of copies of personal documents will be a breeze. For citizens who have always complained about difficulties in dealing with government agencies, this is definitely something to look forward to.
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