e-Government Archives - Page 4 of 11

Organization

Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Human Resource; Operations

Year Implemented

January 2017

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The BGHMC-HRMIS is a database system that keeps important information about the hospital’s employees. It contains all the data used for the different human resource (HR) functions, such as Electronic Appointment Preparation, Salary, Benefits and Payroll Management and Administration, Learning and Development, Rewards and Recognition, and Performance Management. It also offers self-service transactions for the employees, such as e-filing of leaves, online access to their leave credits, salaries, and benefits, and online updating of personal datasheets.

Background and Problem

Before the institutionalization of the PRIME-HRM and the signing into law of the “Department of Information and Communications Technology Act of 2015”, the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) had already aligned its dedication with this mandate. They have been focusing on easing hospital operations through transactions and processes of its employees through the development of systems resulting in employee satisfaction and better patient care.

The BGHMC’s growth in terms of Human Resources for Health (HRH) is exponential. Because of the Rationalization Plan in late 2013, the HRH in BGHMC grew from 676 in 2013 to 1,379 in December 2018, or a 49% increase. In September 2018, the BGHMC was approved for upgrading to 800 beds by virtue of RA 11084.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the 994 positions as part of the 1st tranche last September 2019. To date, the BGHMC has 2,482 positions. Given the challenge, the BGHMC-Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) has to step up its processes to deliver efficient, effective, and timely services to its clientele. The HRMO is in charge of the following HRM functions: Recruitment, Selection and Placement, Employees’ Salaries and Benefits, Performance Management, Rewards and Recognition, and Personnel Records keeping. The inter-phase link of each function and the limited number of staff to deliver all the services and outputs was a challenge to HR. This motivated the team to develop the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS).

Solution and Impact

In the journey towards the CSC’s PRIME -HRM, the primary goal of the BGHMC is to elevate the public sector human resource management to a level of excellence through a process of HRM systems and practices for service. This was done through the BGHMC-HRMIS, a database system that keeps relevant information about every employee in the hospital.

The operationalization of the HRMIS expedited all the works in HRMO with the following as its features:

HR Process and Services (Traditional/before the creation of the HRMIS)
BGHMC-HRMIS Features
Preparation of Payroll (salaries, benefits, bonuses, Magna Carta benefit
Exporting a summary of leaves and performance evaluation as input to payroll preparation is reduced from 15 to 2 days. Requirements for entrance to duty leaves incurred, performance evaluation, etc., can be easily exported from the system.
MSWord preparation of appointment Automated Appointment preparation (CS Form 33)
Personal visit to HR to inquire leave balances and file a leave Automated Leave Application/filing
Online access of individual employees earned leave credits and leave ledgers
Excel Version of leave Ledgers Automated version of leave ledgers. Updated on time are also tardiness, and undertime incurred is deducted from vacation leaves earned
Excel version of Service Record Automated Version of Service Record
Printed payroll per division, department, unit, office automated payslip. With records of previous salaries and benefits received since January 2017.
Excel version or handwritten filled-out CSC Form 212 Electronic and automated Personal Data Sheet including regular updating
Excel version of Summary per rating period only – Performance evaluation ratings of staff available per rating period since 2017
MS Word version prepared yearly Awards and recognitions received by staff (PRAISE)
Staffing Plan–with the minimum Qualification standards per position incorporated in the HRMIS. Next-in-rank employees in any position are easily identified. Vacancies easily monitored
As required by CSC, DBM, DOH, and COA, important reports can be easily generated and downloaded from the system.
Excel Version of Employees Licenses Validity Database Automated database of Employees Licenses Validity

With the online access of each employee to these HR services 24/7, hospital staff are more confident that all the needed information is accessible anytime they need it. Hospital staff can now focus more on their patient care services.

The effectiveness of the HRIS system has reached different government offices, resulting in CSC’s recommendation to make it a learning laboratory where other government offices can benchmark. Since they developed the system internally, the office saved around 2.5 million pesos.

Milestones/Next Steps

In December 2018, the CSC conferred BGHMC with the PRIME-HRM Maturity Level II.

The office is continuously enhancing the features of the system to make it more relevant to the new normal; the HRMO is strategizing on the ease of doing HR business in such a way that HR transactions, i.e., request for Service Record, Certificate of Employment, viewing and printing of personal DTRs, and many more are done through the system. They aligned all of these with their quest to achieve the highest level of PRIME-HRM (Level 4) soon, which is equivalent to Strategic Human Resources.

They have requested the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for data management assessment to register it for copyright.

With the operational efficiency the system has brought in the delivery of HR services, the BGHMC plans to share the system with their DOH family nationwide to elevate the quality of service of the whole DOH.

Organization

Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

2015- Present

This is a GBPR entry.

Summary

The uVote or Universal Voting System for student government elections has been extended to secondary schools in the Rinconada district since 2018. Each year, from January to March, the extension services team of the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC), spearheaded by the College of Computer Studies (CCS), facilitates the use of uVote, including the conduct of training among students and teachers on how to vote and operate the e-voting system independently. The uVote system was offered to secondary schools as a Voter Education alternative, grounded on the research finding that experiential voting in school increases the likelihood of voting in subsequent elections and eventually in government elections in adulthood. Similarly, this initiative aims to help educate voters about their role, responsibility, and civic rights and establish good election habits at a young age.

Background and Problem

The first e-voting system in the Philippines started in the 2010 elections. It was the most expensive election ever conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) due to the new electoral technology and massive voters’ education campaigns implemented.

This reality suggests that developing a mature and responsible electorate with strong democratic values depends highly on government institutions’ voter education approach and implementation mechanism. Viewed in this perspective, strengthening the democratic values of the electorate at an early age gravely hangs on the country’s educational system. Fortunately, Philippine lawmakers also see education as a useful vehicle to enhance voters’ consciousness and improve the election system and outcomes in the country; several bills have been proposed toward this end in Congress. These bills seek to integrate voter education with the mandatory inclusion of patriotism and nationalism into the high school curriculum in both public and private schools. Yet, the enactment of these bills has remained in the planning stage up to the present.

According to studies, experiential voting gives a positive attitude for students to build trust in the modern e-voting system. Yet several schools still deem student e-voting systems as inconsistent and expensive. This perception is reinforced by how a student e-voting system is often not affordable to underprivileged and technologically inept schools, such as the public secondary schools in Rinconada.

Given this challenge, uVote was developed to bridge the gap, offering the utilization of this innovation as an alternative Voter Education campaign tool, free of charge, in Rinconada’s secondary academic institutions.

Solution and Impact

Before the implementation and utilization of uVote, a needs assessment survey was conducted to learn the initiatives or strategies adapted in promoting and implementing voter education, assess current ICT infrastructure, and determine which uVote platform is appropriate for the partner school. The assessment resulted in a customized extension-training proposal for each school that included the target dates, venue, participants, training cost, materials or equipment needed, and training flow. The purpose of the training (Users Training) was to expedite the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills required for the main target groups-teachers and students, when using the uVote system. The training was divided into two sessions – the Teachers track and the Students track. The Teachers track introduced teachers to the basic functions of the uVote System as Administrator and Voter. It provided some pointers on exploring the uVote GUI modules and managing the system to generate reliable and secure election results.

On the other hand, the Students track introduced the process of pre-voting, voting, and post-voting to eligible student voters. This strategy was common to all partner schools. Several parallel sessions were facilitated for this track due to the number of students per grade level. The training also included a mock election designed as a practice exercise to assess if target users acquired the required skill in managing and casting votes using uVote from start to finish. The actual uVote utilization was the election day of the partner school after the training activity.

The accomplishments above reveal how uVote is dynamic, universal, and adaptable to any form of student government election procedure. Any public or private school interested in converting the traditional paper ballot system to an automated electronic voting system may avail of the extension service. Downloads and citations of the published article on uVote increased. This boosts the potential to expand the use of uVote to secondary schools beyond Rinconada.

Post evaluation per extension activity is conducted to determine uVote’s Quality of Use (based on ISO 25010 metrics), which will serve as a basis to improve the uVote system and future extension initiatives. The uVote process allowed the partner school to save money and time that would have been spent printing, distributing and counting paper ballots. Since vote casting and tabulation were completed within the same election day, the process was faster by 300% compared to paper balloting, which took two to five days to complete. Voter turnout increased by 30.47 percent. Lastly, the speedy process encouraged transparency and election integrity.

Milestones/Next Steps

Very few secondary schools were interested at the beginning of the uVote extension service, and most were hesitant to adopt the uVote system. However, after a year of campaigning (and informing the schools that the system was free-of-charge) and as word-of-mouth spread the news of the effectiveness of uVote, Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) and/or Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) of CSPC with schools interested to adopt uVote increased by 100%. Downloads and citations regarding the uVote research article also increased as posted by ResearchGate, Academia, and Google Scholar. Moreover, the uVote extension paper was accepted as an official entry for the Outstanding Research Paper on Extension Award during the 2019 Philippines Extension and Advisory Services Network Inc. (PhilEASNet) Biennial AFFNR Extension Symposium held in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, on October 8-11, 2019.

Expanding the use of uVote to secondary schools beyond Rinconada is the ultimate extension goal of the CSPC-CCS. For this reason, post-evaluation of the extension activity is being conducted to determine uVotes’ Quality of Use (based on ISO 25010 metrics). The general result of the evaluation shall be the basis for improving the uVote system and future extension initiatives.

Organization

Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC)

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Human Resource, Operations

Year Implemented

31 March 2020

This is a GBPR for COVID-19 Response entry

Summary

The vision of Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) is to provide quality multispecialty end-referral care to the people and for the hospital to level up to be the center of health capacity and response system, particularly during this pandemic. Using digital innovation to improve health access and service delivery is one important strategy to address the gaps affecting micro and macro socio-economic activities.

The innovation started with an online social media platform called “E-Konsulta Mo Kay Dok,” which later developed into a web application for the pre-hospital coordination Outpatient Department Appointment System. This online communication increased awareness of ITRMC as one of the few institutions that provided such services during this pandemic. It also enhances the patient experience with the hospital, provides a sense of pride, and boosts the morale of the medical team who developed the project. It has evolved to include clinical specialty and subspecialty services.

Background and Problem

Before the pandemic, the hospital caters to a daily average of five hundred (500) to six hundred (600) outpatients in a limited single-floor outpatient building that houses several specialty and subspecialty clinics. Notifiable risks include overcrowding, poor ventilation, long queues, prolonged turnaround time, inefficiency, and patient discomfort.

As the nation transitions into the “new normal,” following the Department of Health (DOH) and the directive of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the basic minimum health standards, hospital operations must be streamlined to ensure the safety not only of the patients but also all health-care workers and the stakeholders who will visit the hospital for non-medical concerns.

Public health information is clearly and regularly given. ITRMC wants to ensure that even the most vulnerable population seeking its services will not contract the virus and other emerging infectious diseases inside hospital premises.

Solution and Impact

Last 8 June 2020, the hospital reopened its Outpatient Service, considering the five pillars of preparedness defined by the Inter-Agency Task Force: reducing vulnerability, reducing transmission, reducing contact, reducing the duration of infection, and governance and accountability in the streamlining of its operations. The initiatives include using the conceptual framework of integrated pre-hospital coordination, departmentalized and facilitated consultation, and post-hospital coordination and follow-up.

In the pre-hospital coordination, one platform used was the online consultation via e-Konsulta, which was used during the height of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) beginning 31 March 2020. The basic principle of e-Konsulta is to provide health access using information technology via chat box through Facebook. They used it as a mechanism for surge management and to assist a patient where transportation and mobility are a concern. Another pre-hospital coordination is via call and car navigation, used by the Operation Center under Marvin Munar’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

The entire hospital’s internal business processes are currently being reviewed across all levels to address issues on quality, particularly in the following areas: safety, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and people-centered care. All quality procedures across divisions, departments, offices, and units are in the process of review and revision with an emphasis on understanding the changes and considering the different internal and external issues brought about by the pandemic. This will be a big step in identifying mitigating actions addressing risks and using opportunities for improvement.

The post-hospital coordination with all health care facilities, including institutions involved in public health, will be strengthened by establishing a unified database of information technology, capacity-building activities, and financial integration embedded in the Universal Health Care Act. The impact is the improvement in hospital operations, thus ensuring delivery of quality care along with the following major areas: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, equitability, timeliness, and people-centeredness.

Milestones/Next Steps

Before the official opening of the OPD, a two (2)-day dry run was held to observe for process flow, compliance with basic health standards, avoiding overcrowding, turnaround time, and compliance with infection control and triage protocols. The dry run result and the effect after less than a month of implementation will be reported under the performance measures and impact.

Congruent with this, the Operation Center has launched a data-collection system on pre-hospital coordination relative to the operation of the Health Care Provider Network with the Local Government of La Union. They will use the information captured as a way forward to improve pre-hospital coordination not only among healthcare facilities but also with the community at large.

In the same way, the data encoding system was reviewed and revised to strengthen intrahospital or interdepartmental referral and communication to improve the Outpatient consultation for follow-up care after hospital discharge.

The ITRMC is planning to enhance further and improve the technology to include a unified database sharing of electronic medical records with their existing partners in the province-wide Health Care Provider Network, including but not limited to Provincial and District Hospitals and Rural Health Units. This will be an excellent opportunity to further gather health information for translational research to improve healthcare service delivery and partnership.

Organization

Department of Science and Technology – CALABARZON

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Operations

Year Implemented

2011 to present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The Department of Science and Technology – CALABARZON (DOST-CALABARZON) fosters an innovative and serviceable environment. With this, back in 2011, the agency’s Management Information Systems (MIS) Unit initiated the development of the Smart Office Systems, a group of internally developed information systems that aim to boost efficiency by innovating internal processes and service delivery through digitization.

Background and Problem

The development of the information systems was initially due to the Office of Civil Defense IV-A’s request for assistance in crafting an information system for the dissemination of disaster-related bulletins. At that time, the MIS unit of the DOST-CALABARZON was just beginning to gather a team of ICT experts. Upon delivering OCD’s request and after a thorough evaluation, the evolution of the agency’s information systems started.

Below are the other challenges and opportunities that the agency considered in creating and implementing this best practice:

Human Resource

More than 70% of staff are millennials, generally technology-savvy
About 80% of the workforce are on a WFH arrangement during the ECQ and GCQ period
About 30% of staff are baby boomers who may have problems coping with the new technologies

Resistance to change

Legal adherence and compliance with new policies and laws

eGovernance

EO No. 2, series of 2016, Freedom of Information
Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012
Transparency Seal
Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018
House Bill 6623 or the proposed New Normal for the Workplace and Public Spaces Act

Technological

Obsolescence of previous versions of information systems
Coping with emerging technologies
Internet being a disruptive technology, changed the way of doing business

Social

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic and Taal volcanic eruption on working
Social distancing, mobility restrictions, health measures, social activities, etc.,

Solution and Impact

The best practice employs internally developed information systems to monitor activities and evaluate outputs/results, thereby impacting the organization’s productivity, transparency, and resiliency.

The systems development follows the usual Software Development Life Cycle process, but the following approaches were practiced by the MIS Unit that ensured successful internal implementation and replicability for systems adopters.

Need-Based Solutions — Identification of problems and opportunities for improvement in processes to develop high-impact application systems;
Top-Management Commitment — Top management’s approval and support establishes responsibility, accountability, and political will;
Generic Info-systems Approach — Core functionalities suited to the basic requirements of DOST ROs and other government agencies;
Collaboration Mindset — Consultation with system/process owners and project partners to ascertain and integrate their needs into the ICT projects;
Standardized Programming Strategy — Uniformity in the use of industry-standard programming languages, tools, frameworks, and models for easier systems development, updating, and customization;
Future Proofing Considerations — Usage of the latest versions of system development software to prolong software life;
Iteration Method —The concept that all systems are not bug-free and that continuous enhancement is a necessity.

Milestones/Next Steps

Since 2011, DOST-CALABARZON has already produced 12 information systems that benefit DOST-CALABARZON alongside 112 agency adopters (39 national government agencies, 49 local government units, 21 academic institutions, two private organizations, and one public organization).

The results and impact of the Smart Office Systems have further been recognized through the awards given to the organization, which highlighted this best practice. These were the following awards:

Very Innovative Person Award from the Career Executive Service Board (CESB) 2016
Civil Service Commission (CSC) Pagasa Award 2017
Philippine Quality Award 2017 Level 1 Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management conferred by PRRD
Innovation Award received from DOST-CALABARZON PRAISE Committee 2018
Gawad Kalasag Award from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD IV-A)

Agency

Bureau of Patents – Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (BOP-IPOPHL)

Summary

The Early Issuance of Search Report (ESR) is the patent filing system created by the Bureau of Patents – Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (BOP-IPOPHL) to facilitate and hasten to file of patents of Filipino scientists.

The ESR requires the issuance of Search Reports (SR) on the patentability of inventions within six (6) months from the filing.

Fully implemented in 2018, the ESR streamlines and hastens the procedures for filing patents at the BOP, effectively allowing Filipino scientists to simultaneously apply for international patents as prescribed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Background and Problem

As the filing for patents in the Philippines traditionally takes 18 months on average, many Filipino scientists are unable to submit their applications for international patents due to the 12-month requirement of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Through the ESR, the BOP-IPOPHL sought to expedite the local patent procedure from 18 months to 6 months on average, allowing Filipino inventors to file international patents within the prescribed 12-month period.

The ESR implementation was inspired by the European Patent’s Office (EPO) practice of issuing ESRs.

Intellectual Property Rights Specialist Ma. Cristina De Guzman, IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago, and Bureau of Patents Director Lolibeth Medrano at the Government Best Practices Recognition (GBPR) 2018 at Richmonde Hotel, Ortigas Center, Pasig City last 18 December 2018.

Solution and Impact

Along with more than 150 contracting nations/states, the Philippines is a signatory to the PCT. The Treaty allows an inventor to get international patent protection for an invention in multiple countries simultaneously within 12 months from the filing date of their first patent application in their home countries.

ESR improves the efficiency of patent searching and examination process at the BOP-IPOPHL. This ensures that the inventors receive early and accurate initial assessments of their inventions’ patentability (novelty, inventive step & industrial applicability). As such, it contributes to the agency’s mandate to provide timely and quality patents since the search report is a substantive requirement for publication of the application.

The issuance of search reports is monitored by the automation system installed that helps the agency follow up on existing applications.

Through the early release of search reports, Filipino inventors are provided ample time to reply to the assessments done by BOP-IPOPHL on the patentability of their work, as well as the opportunity to improve their applications (e.g., amendments, claims, etc.) Furthermore, faster patent protection processing means inventors can commercialize their technology at earlier dates.

The ESR was inspired by the European Patent’s Office (EPO) practice of issuing ESRs. So far, BOP-IPOPHL is the only ASEAN state implementing the ESR in patent applications.

The ESR is sustained through an automated system as an effective monitoring system and through monthly monitoring by the division chiefs; monthly reporting of the performance of the examining divisions to the Management Committee and division chiefs; and the even distribution of applications to examiners within the divisions. For example, when an uneven load of applications is due for examination, some are delegated to related divisions.

Milestones

The IPOPHL is the only medium-sized IP Office that implements the ESR. Despite its institutional limitations, the BOP-IPOPHL, through the ESR, was able to issue 146 SRs of 182 applications filed from July – Dec 2017 and 191 of 239 from January – June 2018.

Organization

Department of Labor and Employment – National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR)

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

Preview release / soft launching on 01 June 2020; Official launching on 12 June 2020\

This is a GBPR for COVID-19 Response entry

Summary

The Department of Labor and Employment – National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) created a free online platform called the Electronic Filing (E-Filing) Service, an adaptation of the Google Forms technology. It is designed to provide the convenience of digital filing, applying, or submitting any labor-related requests for employers and workers.

Background and Problem

The DOLE-NCR is the premier Regional Office responsible for implementing policies and programs that promote gainful employment opportunities and human resource development to protect workers’ welfare and advancement and maintain harmonious industrial relations among workers and employers.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) cases in the country last 2020 compelled the government to enforce preventive measures to ensure the health and safety of the citizens by regulating physical distancing, community quarantine, and travel restrictions, among others. The pandemic also caused some industries and several establishments in the National Capital Region (NCR) to shut down temporarily, which affected millions of workers and employers with existing labor and employment issues and concerns.

Similarly, the Department’s key frontline programs and services that required physical transactions were suspended. Under normal circumstances, the Department’s processes were voluminous. However, recent events challenged them to develop a new operational strategy using digitization that would still provide a fast and efficient implementation in addressing the needs of its employees and clients amidst the pandemic.

Screenshot of the DOLE-NCR Client Portal

Solution and Impact

Apart from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) & DOLE’s Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of Coronavirus Disease, the creation of the E-filing service is preparation for DOLE-NCR to adapt to the new normal. The e-Filing Service covers 16 key frontline services such as:

Request for Assistance;
Request for Certificate of Involuntary Separation for SSS (local employees);
Request for Certificate of Involuntary Separation for SSS (for OFWs);
Registration of Establishment under Rule 1020;
Application for Alien Employment Permit (AEP);
Registration of Job, Service Contractor, Subcontractor (DOLE Department Order 174-17);
Construction Safety and Health Program Application (Simplified);
Construction Safety and Health Program Application (Comprehensive);
Request for Technical Safety Inspection;
Annual Medical Report;
Report of Safety Organization;
Company Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Program;
Minutes of the Meeting of Safety and Health Committee;
Application for Working Child Permit;
Application for DOLE Clearance (Certificate of No Pending Case); and
Application for DOLE Clearance (Certificate of No Pending Case on Child Labor).

By utilizing today’s technologies and online services, clients and employees would experience long-term benefits, including:

Improved Timeliness and Collaboration: DOLE-NCR provides the tools to document management processes. Their employees will easily view, download, and evaluate documents while checking the online status. For example — adding the application status of responses on the Google online spreadsheet will easily track and monitor the action on every online submission of clients. This will also help resolve bottlenecks and ensure the timely generation of documents. Targeted Process Cycle Time (PCT) will be achieved because of its quick turnaround. Gone are the traditional ways of filling-out forms, submitting printed copies, enduring long application queues, sorting out inaccurate requirements, and encoding submitted data in computers. The online filing would significantly reduce the time spent on manual activities, making client registrations automatically recorded and categorized accordingly in the system. DOLE-NCR employees can now solely focus on reviewing, validating, and evaluating processes.
Data Security: Digital storage reduces the risk of data loss as files are securely protected and backed up, ensuring data recovery during property damage or natural disasters. This assures DOLE-NCR and clients that the data provided by customers are safely stored. By adopting this practice, employees would capture and access data securely and consistently.
Data Accuracy and Standardization: The Google Form captures the registered information and data submitted by employers and workers. It provides customers with the latest prescribed DOLE forms with specific steps to ensure consistency of online filing. It can also detect omitted fields made by clients to ensure they complete all the required information.
Improved Customer Support: The DOLE-NCR can easily access all the information to answer any E-filing-related questions of clients. The focal can easily provide status updates on customer concerns through the client’s registered contact info.
User-Friendly: DOLE programs and services can easily be accessed by different devices connected to the Internet, which will benefit clients and DOLE-NCR Regional and Field Offices while quarantine orders remain in effect. Furthermore, it is easier to use since most clients are familiar with Google Form technology.
Economical: Accessibility of online forms would save the use of paper in DOLE-NCR. In the long run, this saves time and resources and promotes employee efficiency. For example – responses can just be downloaded or viewed at any time. Gathering data becomes an easier task.

Milestones/Next Steps

The DOLE-NCR’s e-Filing Service is still in its infantile stage as it was only launched in June 2020, but improvements are already underway. The DOLE-NCR is the first regional office to provide an online facility that is free and user-friendly which gives it a major advantage that other DOLE regional offices may replicate. The service’s primary goal is to ensure that clients can file online requests and that the data submitted strictly follow the Data Privacy Policy. It comes with an instructional video that guides the clients in using the system and can be used as an educational material during DOLE-NCR webinars.

The DOLE-NCR intensified its campaign on 12 June 2020, using its official Facebook Page and YouTube Channel to gather client engagement and feedback. The DOLE-NCR’s official Facebook Page alone reached 21,871 users since the posting of the e-Filing Service link with 182 positive reactions (e.g. “Like,” “Love,” and “Wow” remarks combined) and 132 shares. Hence, as of 31 July 2020, viewers from DOLE-NCR’s YouTube channel grew to 5,196. Additionally, various media organizations such as the Philippine News Agency, Philippine Information Agency, and Daily Tribune have already featured the DOLE-NCR e-Filing Services on their respective websites.

Organization

City Government of Parañaque

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

19 March 2019

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

The City Government of Parañaque implemented the Project Express Lane Operation (ELO) as part of the reform strategies to address the current pressing issues and concerns on local permits and licenses while improving the City’s responsiveness to increase business and consumer confidence delivery of public services. The Project successfully simplified and integrated all concerned departments and office processes into three procedures: application, payment, and releasing. The Project was institutionalized with Executive Order 18-14 dated 24 May 2018, 4 days before RA 11032 was enacted.

Background and Problem

The Government of the Philippines has been advocating for reducing red tape in both national and local governments since 2001. The government issued a directive to reduce the number of procedures and requirements in every government transaction to achieve a business-friendly and investor climate following the country’s performance in various global competitiveness reports. The issuance of Executive Memorandum Order No. 117, series of 2003, served as the preliminary legal basis of the local government to simplify and rationalize the distribution of local permits and clearances such as business permits, building permits, certificates of occupancy, and other clearances in terms of documentary requirements, procedures, processing time, signatories, and costs.

Following the directive of the national government to further streamline regulatory processes and requirements in local permits and licenses and improve the country’s competitiveness ranking, the Project ELO Team has identified the following challenges: 1) process complexity, i.e., multiple forms/documentary requirements/signatories, redundancy in requirements, 2) high cost of doing business, 3) the number of unregistered business establishments, 4) inter-department collaboration/coordination, 5) harmonization of policies and regulations at the national and local level, 6) building trust and confidence between local government and customers/taxpayers.

Unveiling of Smart Kiosk self-service facility.

Solution and Impact

The City Government of Parañaque, through the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), conducted a series of consultations and workshops to understand and map out the process and requirements relative to the business permitting process. A detailed Department Analysis Process Observation and Action Plan were presented to the local chief executive (LCE).

Project ELO 2.0 was launched as an enhanced system to integrate the occupational permit process and use technology-enabled applications and systems to promote the digital economy at the local level. The Project also introduced innovative features on unified application forms and requirements, co-locating all departments/offices, including BFP, integration of barangay clearance, one-time assessment, payment, smart kiosk machine, document management system, and application tracking system.

Reduction of procedures and time from 19 steps, seven days in 2013 to 3 steps, one day in 2019
Increase in business tax and fees collection from 1.041B in 2013 to 3.023B in 2019
Increase in business registrations: From 23,447 to 26,945 or increase of 15% or 3,498 new business registrations in 2019.

Milestones/Next Steps

The City Government implemented Executive Order No. 018, series of 2013, to create an interdepartmental task force that will manage, execute, and enforce business-related reforms to reduce the number of procedures from 19 to 4, processing time from 7 to 3 days, and signatories from 3 to 1
By 2016, the administration’s 10 Point Socio-Economic Agenda emphasized the need “to increase competitiveness and ease of doing business” by addressing bottlenecks in business registration at the national and local governments.
Institutionalization of the BPLO under Ordinance No. 17-43 dated 14 December 2017
Institutionalization of the Project ELO under Executive Order No. Order 18-14 dated 24 May 2018
This was followed by the passage of RA 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018”.
Development of new features such as Online Appointment System, Online Business Application, Use of Online Courier and Delivery Services, Adoption of e-Payment Facilities, and e-Receipts for local government transactions.

Organization

Camarines Norte State College

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Operations

Year Implemented

9 January 2018

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

This project/system provides a solution to the current concerns of Camarines Norte State College System in its “budget-planning” process and reporting system. It aims to prevent non-conformity to the requirements of interested external parties like the NEDA, CHED, and DBM. Initially, the system was used by the Institutional Planning and Development Office (IPDO) in the budget-planning process to promote ease, accuracy, and timeliness in the preparation of budget reports. In the development process, ease of use and accuracy were among the factors that were hypothesized to affect the timeliness and directly correlate with productivity.

The project started in the Institutional Planning and Development Office, which is responsible for consolidating budget plans of the Nine (9) delivery units of the CNSC system. Today, the eBPPro is being used by these delivery units in their respective budget preparations. The E-BPPro has ensured the alignment of the budget to the institutional development plans, the performance indicators set by CHED, and the requirements of DBM. With this, CNSC was able to meet the Budget Utilization Target, and in 2019, it qualified for the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) after several years of non-compliance. The e-BPPro is now being reprogrammed to make it available to other State Universities and Colleges for their budget planning activities.

Background and Problem

Since the creation of Camarines Norte State College, the budget planning process has been conducted traditionally. The budget proposal was constantly subjected to changes and modifications, and the budget process usually takes six (6) to eight (8) months before getting finalized. Because of ceaseless modifications, the budget became prone to double entries, lost documents (some Programs, Projects and Activities, and Purchase Requests were nowhere to be found), and even the project titles differed when submitted to oversight agencies. This practice led to difficulties in meeting the budget utilization targets and availing of the Performance-Based Bonus, which has become elusive for the college.

Before, preparing the budget always entails high costs—on food, transport, and personal days of the Deans/Directors and other staff. The college is exposed to expenses and opportunity/productivity costs whenever a planning session is scheduled. The Institutional Planning and Development Office and the Budget Office have had a recurring issue for the past years on the “delayed” submission and multiple revisions of Annual Procurement Plans, Project Procurement Management Plans, and Total Operating Budgets. Changes in Purchase/Procurement Requests and other intervening requests for funds usually occur, resulting in repetitious modification of plans which, on the other hand, cause delayed implementation of projects and low budget utilization.

Screenshot of the Electronic Budget Planning Process application.

Solution and Impact

Before developing the Electronic Budget Planning Process Application System (e-BPPro), the plans for funding are typically a product of current priorities and the discretion of the end-users. They are not aligned with the college’s long-term goals and performance criteria. During the “cramming period,” budget plans are recycled. These were some of the difficulties in the past that the application could address.

This project also addressed the factors affecting the budget-planning process and has prepared budget plans that are user-friendly, accessible, accurate, and with a real-time feature of consolidating reports. The new system has also contributed to saving precious time and resources and increasing productivity which is the project’s primordial attribute regarding its users, the Deans, Directors, and the external parties (that require the budget information or reports).

The immediate outcome of using this application system includes the following:

Cutting down the budget planning process from eight (8) months to three (3) days,
Making the preparation faster from a couple of weeks to one day (of encoding)
Preparation of the report in a snapshot from a couple of hours
Providing accurate computation of income and projected expenses, and just recently, even the preparation of procurement requests

The common purpose is to meet immediate needs. This scenario happened because the budget plan was previously open to usual changes and “deadline” decisions. With the Electronic Budget Planning Process Application (e-BPPro), the following aspects have been resolved:

Factors causing delays in preparing and submitting budget plans (APP, PPMP, PR, and TOB) have been addressed. From the average of 219 hours of actual time spent preparing the budget, it was cut down to eight (8) hours.
Preparing the annual budget and all its entailing reports was significantly reduced from Php 556,800.00 to Php 67,200.00.
Because of the real-time generation of reports, budget analysis, realignment, and adjustment became easier for the budget office;
Early procurement of supplies and materials was made possible; thus, the College was able to meet the requirements of both GPPB and AO25 for PBB;
The budget is now more accurate, timely, standardized, and consistent with CHED’s approved plans and performance indicators.

Milestones/Next Steps

In early 2018, the project started as a research proposal to determine the issues affecting the budget planning process of Camarines Norte State College. System analysis and development of the Electronic Budget Planning Process were conducted. The system has earned the interests of other State Universities and Colleges, which indicates its potential as a best practice for collaboration and replication. During the last Quarter of 2018, the Institutional Planning and Development Office implemented the system as a budget planning tool for the consolidation of Program, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) and the Project Procurement Monitoring Plan (PPMPs) of CNSC’s nine (9) delivery units.

In the First Quarter of 2019, the application was used by all the delivery units for their respective budget planning process with the inclusion of the Total Operating Budget (TOB) Report, Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (APPs), and the generation of Purchase Requests PRs). In early 2020, the General Administrative and Support Services was included, transforming it into an integrated system and no longer a stand-alone tool for IPDO when conceptualized.

For the past three years, the system contributed to realizing the Capital Outlay targets of Camarines Norte State College, qualifying it as one of the top-funded State Universities and Colleges in the Bicol Region and among the highest in the country. Notably, in 2018, CNSC became eligible for the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) grant.

Organization

University of the Philippines Diliman

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Operations

Year Implemented

October 2019

This is a Recognized Best Practice

Summary

The development of the UP Diliman Supply and Property Management Office (UPD SPMO) Common-use Supplies and Equipment (CSE) Portal was initially conceived as a project of the 2018 ASPIRE Training for process streamlining and improvement. The SPMO group of the UPD ASPIRE Batch 1 and 2 proposed to streamline the existing process of ordering of common-use supplies and equipment from the UPD SPMO Central Storeroom to a Lazada-type of online ordering for CSE items procured from the PS DBM. This was in accordance with Republic Act No. 11032, otherwise known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

Background and Problem

Before developing the Supply and Property Management Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (SPMO CSE) Portal, the total number of days for processing the request for issuance of Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (CSE) is around four days. Outlined below is the process flow on how the end-users request/order supplies from the UP Diliman SPMO:

Step 1. The end-users call the UP Diliman SPMO if the items are available at the Central Storeroom of UPD SPMO.
Step 2. If the items are available, they will manually prepare a Requisition and Issue Slip (RIS) and have it signed/approved by the Head of Unit and budget cleared by the Accounting or Budget Office.
Step 3. Submit the approved Requisition and Issue Slip (RIS) at the UPD SPMO Central Storeroom to issue Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (CSE).

The problem occurs when the approved and budget-cleared Requisition and Issue Slip (RIS) is submitted to UPD SPMO, and the supplies are no longer available. This results to the cancellation of the approved and budget-cleared Requisition and Issue Slip (RIS), and the users will have to repeat the process. Some items in the RIS are partially canceled due to the non-availability of stocks upon submission of approved RIS. As per data gathered from October 2018 to September 2019, 58% of RIS have partially canceled items and needed to go through the process again.

Below is the summary of Requisition and Issue Slips (RIS) with partial canceled items:

Month	No. of RIS Received	No. of RIS partially canceled	Percentage of RIS with Cancellation
		2018
October	57	30	53%
November	18	11	61%
December	16	8	50%
		2019
January	61	38	62%
February	42	32	76%
March	59	17	29%
April	33	22	67%
May	43	25	58%
June	41	41	100%
July	57	36	63%
August	16	9	56%
September	84	39	46%

Another problem encountered by the end-users is the manual issuance of Certificate of Non-Availability of Stocks (CNAS) because the end-user would make the request after they have already purchased the items. Reimbursement procedures require purchases to be made only when stocks are not available in the SPMO. Otherwise, the reimbursement may be disapproved.

The amount of time saved by the UPD SPMO in eliminating the actual issuance of CNAS is around 5 minutes from printing to the signing of the CNAS or a total of 430 minutes per day or around one person-day in a month.

Screenshot of the SPMO Portal website application.

Solution and Impact

100% adoption of the CSE Portal by UP Diliman offices/colleges/unit – All the 170 offices/colleges/units have registered. They are using the facility already, and 100% of them confirmed that it had addressed their needs, and 98.4% confirmed that it has satisfactorily improved and hastened the processing of their requests. It was easy for them to adapt to the system because it was similar to online sites like Lazada.
Streamlined procurement process and Improved documentation – With the creation of a database, all data and transactions are stored in a central repository. Data recording and filing are automated at the point of transaction, so data retrieval and reporting is faster. The system also allows users to reserve items for three (3) days while they seek budget clearance and approval for the purchase. This reduces the rework that usually happens with the previous system when items with an approved budget go out of stock.
Information on available balance – An added feature for the end-user is information on their available balance as any unused balance may be carried over. They can still order the previous month’s balance as it is carried over to the following month until the total quantity they provided in their APP-CSE is fully utilized.
Reduced transaction turn-around time – The processing time was reduced from 4 days to just 4.5 hours per transaction. This is seven times faster than the previous turn-around time. Multiply this by the number of transactions UPD SPMO processes, resulting in significant savings in manpower who can be given other types of work.
Better information and planning – With the central storage of data, UPD SPMO can now analyze the movement of items, required stocking levels, seasonality, and other items that may be added to the inventory. It gives UPD SPMO the needed information to better plan and serve the university.
Customized Product Catalogue – The product catalog shows whether the items are available or out of stock. It also indicates the maximum quantity each end-user can order monthly based on their submitted Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (APP-CSE).
Empowered end-users – The Statement of Non-Availability of Stocks (SNAS) is implemented in SPMO’s Facebook page instead of the manual issuance of the Certificate of Non-Availability of stocks (CNAS) so the need for the users to request UPD SPMO to generate the CNAS and SNAS was eliminated. The end-users can already generate these themselves from the portal resulting in a saving of 1 person per day per month.

Milestones/Next Steps

Project Conceptualization as part of the Administrative Staff Program towards Institutional Resiliency and Excellence (ASPIRE) Program – a program designed to equip UPD administrative personnel with the necessary knowledge, mindset, and skills in developing and implementing a Quality Management System that will help organizations attain improved and efficient operations, sustained culture of innovation, customer-driven delivery of services, and empowered human resources:
- August 2018–Statement of Non-Availability of Stocks (SNAS) generation through the SPMO Facebook Page;
- May 2019 –Requisition and Issue Slip Process Flow Improvement and development of Common-Use Supplies and Equipment Portal
Implementation of SNAS generation through SPMO Facebook Page–September 2018
Development of the System Design–May 2019
Approval of System Design–June 2019
User Training – 16-17 September 2019
Soft Launch of the CSE Portal–October 2019
Full System Implementation–November 2019
Implementation of e-wallet feature effective February 2021
Delivery to end-users of CSEs effective April 2022

Title

Effective Resource Generation and Mobilization: An Inclusive and Transformative Solution for Tumauini’s Development (eRemit)

Organization

Municipal Government of Tumauini, Isabela Best Practice Focus Area/s: Leadership, Strategy, Operations

Year Implemented

January 2016

Summary

To accelerate the development and progress of its municipality, the Tumauini LGU implemented
the Effective Resource Generation and Mobilization: An Inclusive and Transformative Solution for Tumauini’s Development program (eRemit), which organizes the sourcing and distribution of municipal funds to effectively and efficiently implement the priority programs, projects, and activities identified in the local administration’s approved development plans.

Background and Problem

Before adopting eRemit in 2016, the pace of development of Tumauini was slow, as the LGU was too dependent on its 20% Development Fund (DF), which proved to be insufficient for financing the development initiatives of the local administration, especially while collections of locally-sourced revenue were extremely low.

Due to this situation, the LGU was unable to implement its planned programs and projects, which were deemed necessary to address the issues and concerns of its constituents. This has resulted in the continued prevalence of long-standing problems such as high poverty incidence, unemployment, poor quality of education, increased morbidity and mortality rates, low agricultural productivity, inefficient public service delivery, lack of access to economic activity, and the vulnerability of communities during disasters.

Solution and Impact

To effectively respond to the myriad problems plaguing their community, the Tumauini LGU developed eRemit to best manage and mobilize the municipality’s available funds towards attaining inclusive growth and development. This allows the LGU’s various units to implement their priority programs, projects, and activities with the confidence that they would have the resources needed to see them through.

The different practices instituted through eRemit are as follows:

Establishment of organizational credibility for collaborative partnerships. The municipality strives to maintain its Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) and Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) as proof to stakeholders of the LGU’s integrity and quality performance.
Formulation of development plans for collaborative partnerships. All projects requested for funding are contained in the approved development plan and identified and prioritized during consultations with stakeholders. Active participation and shared decision-making among stakeholders are also ensured during the planning process.
Creation of Resource Mobilization Technical Team (RMTT). The Tumaini LGU’s RMTT is composed of the Municipal Mayor as Chairman, and its members are the Municipal Administrator, Municipal Engineer, Municipal Agricultural Officer, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer, Public Employment Service Officer, and Local Economic and Investment Promotion Officer. They are tasked with preparing project requirements such as proposals, financial statements, detailed engineering designs and programs of work for infrastructure projects, beneficiary profiles, and other documents for submission to a wide range of potential donors for their consideration during budget preparation.
Establishment of strong leadership and linkage with resource providers/investors. The Municipal Mayor and the RMTT submit their proposals to possible resource providers, opening doors for potential partnerships. The LGU maintains a directory of NGAs and private sector organizations as potential donors for proposed projects and future undertakings.
Creation of the Project Monitoring Committee(PMC), Inspectorate Team (IT), and Project Implementation Team (PIT) via Executive Order. The establishment of PMC, IT, and PIT further enhance good governance through clear, transparent, accountable, and responsive public service delivery.

Municipality of Tumauini New Municipal Hall

Once the LGU receives the funds, the PIT immediately implements the project as stipulated by municipal policy or the Memorandum of Agreement with the project’s donor. The PMC monitors the project, identifies issues and recommends remedial actions, prepares reports, and updates the MDC on the status of project implementation. The IT conducts a preliminary inspection if the project reaches an accomplishment of 95% of the total contract amount and submits a project punch list to the contractor in preparation for final project turnover.

All resources mobilized are monitored by resource partners, technical teams, and beneficiaries for accountability. The fund utilization and project status are posted in the Full Disclosure Policy Portal of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as well as on bulletin boards located in three conspicuous places within the municipality. With the LGU’s full compliance with these requirements, the relationship with resource partners is fostered for mutual trust and benefit.

The immediate impacts of the resource mobilization efforts are as follows:

Increased literacy rate from 88.73% to 99%
Increased percentage of concreted roads from 21.12% to 90%
Sustained zero maternal mortality rate
An average increase in capital investment of 5.6%
Increased tourist arrivals (ranked 8th in Region 02 in 2018)
Decreased in the unemployment rate from 39.9% to 5.4%
Decreased poverty incidence from 27.60% to 15.60%

The continued implementation of eRemit is projected to lead to Tumauni attaining cityhood in about five to eight years, with a competitive economy and growing tourism industry. The quality of life in the municipality has increased dramatically thanks to the projects implemented through eRemit, and the community’s goals are attained due to sharing resources and sustained good governance.

Payout of more than 2000 TUPAD Beneficiaries

Milestones/Next Steps

The total funds from various resource partners from 2016-2020 under the eRemit amounted to Php 3,775,732,056.73. Included in this amount are the following:

On Infrastructure:

Concreted 73,108 m. of local roads/farm-to-market roads=PhP507,682,482.54
Construction of 75 m. Dy-Abra overflow bridge=PhP44,221,629.63
Opening of 3.7 kms of access road in Antagan 1st=PhP41,000,000.00
Purchased 7 heavy equipment for infrastructure projects=PhP10,618,000.00

On Economic Development:

Constructed a public market facility=PhP100,000,000.00
Constructed 18,300 m. concrete irrigation canals=PhP210,977,851.04
Constructed 4 SWIPs=PhP45,120,157.05
Implemented livelihood programs benefiting 2,773 displaced workers=PhP27,247,050.00
Constructed 2 multi-purpose tourism buildings=PhP5,200,000.00
Constructed 1 cooperative building with fishpond facility=PhP3,500,000.00
Provided 11,529 bags of palay hybrid seeds, 6,865 bags of hybrid corn seeds, and 1,770 bags of fertilizers that benefited 5,677 rice farmers and 6,865 corn farmers=PhP42,482,800.00
Provided 195 fishing equipment (boat and gears) to 175 fishermen including dispersal of 783,000 fingerlings to 244 fishpond owners=PhP1,465,000.00
Provided economic relief assistance to 2,667 farmers=PhP124,707,500.00
Constructed 8 MPDP=PhP2,660,000.00

On Social Development:

Constructed of 291 classrooms=PhP559,728,727.58
Phase Construction of Multi-Purpose Building (Gymnasium)=PhP60,000,000.00
Constructed a regional evacuation center=PhP70,158,202.57
Constructed 5 waters systems=PhP49,138,309.64
Repaired the Tumauini Cultural and Sports Center=PhP17,705,906.26
Constructed a 16-bed hospital building=PhP15,250,000.00
Constructed 3 IDA health centers with lying-in clinic=PhP7,690,000.00
Implemented supplemental feeding program benefiting 3,194 undernourished children=P5,749,973.24
Purchased 1 ultrasound machine with complete accessories=PhP2,688,000.00
Repaired 26-day care centers=PhP2,614,029.28
Constructed 1 hospital dormitory=PhP2,500,000.00
Purchased 2 fiber boats for search and rescue operations=PhP1,800,000.00

On Environmental Management:

Constructed 5,361 linear meters concrete drainage canal=PhP321,599,937.85
Constructed 4 flood control systems=P130,000,000.00
Established 10-hectare SLF facility=PhP8,754,776.00
Purchased 2 units garbage compactors and 1 unit crawler loader for SLF=PhP6,100,000.00
Constructed 2 mini parks=PhP400,000.00

On Institutional Development:

Phase Construction of New LGU Multi-Purpose Building=PhP79,999,822.32
Constructed 13 barangay multi-purpose buildings=PhP31,500,000.00
Constructed three office buildings and one staff quarter for NIA-TIS employees=PhP107,200,000.00

The total resources mobilized were commended during the 2019 SGLG National Validation. For the second time, Tumauini was conferred with the prestigious SGLG by the DILG on November 4, 2019, at the Manila Hotel. The LGU also passed the SGH due to its full compliance with FDPP, which entitled the LGU with a Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) subsidy amounting to P2 Million in 2018 and P3.2 Million in 2019.

At present, the Municipal Mayor, who is also the President of the Isabela Chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), is helping other LGUs by sharing the best practice and endorsing them to different resource providers with whom the Tumauini LGU has established strong partnerships so that they too can request funds for their planned and unfunded programs and projects. The LGU shall endeavor to expand its resource mobilization partnerships not only at the local and national levels but also internationally with the endorsement of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Region II and the national government, especially for proposed big projects, such as a hydropower facility and a small-scale dam, for the continuous growth and development of the municipality.