The Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) celebration of the 10-year milestone of the Digital Governance Awards on March 30, 2023, was a significant event that marked the return of in-person gatherings after two years of virtual announcements due to the pandemic. The event held in Metro Manila was attended by various representatives from local government units, industry stakeholders, and elected officials who had all worked together to promote digital governance in the Philippines.
During the ceremony, Secretary Ivan E. Uy expressed his gratitude to everyone who had supported the Digital Governance Awards initiative, including judges, industry stakeholders, colleagues from the public sector, and representatives from various local government units nationwide. He highlighted the importance of digital governance and the DICT’s commitment to be the primary mover of digital transformation in the country.
Since its inception in 2012 as the eGov Awards, the Digital Governance Awards have encouraged LGUs to adopt innovative ICT initiatives that provide faster and wider delivery of services and projects to local constituents, business stakeholders, and government offices. The initiative has recognized LGUs for their outstanding achievements in harnessing the power of ICT to improve the living standards of every Filipino in their respective localities.
Over 300 entries or applications from around 80 municipalities, cities, and provinces across the country have been received since 2019 when the project was officially rebranded as the Digital Governance Awards. This year, almost a hundred entries from more than 50 LGUs nationwide were received, showing that e-governance is of extreme importance, and local leaders and offices have taken up the challenge head-on.
The Digital Governance Awards aim to uplift leaders in different sectors of society to be advocates and champions of timely, dynamic, and responsive digital innovations that facilitate the country’s sustainable development. The awards recognize the whole range of public services, including health, education, economy, tourism, peace and order, disaster risk reduction and management, and more, that can already be managed and delivered through the use and application of ICT tools and solutions.
The event celebrated the innovative use of technology by LGUs and their capabilities to transform lives, ensure social inclusion, and drive progress. The awards showcased the finalists’ efforts and dedication in leveraging the power of ICT to improve the living standards of every Filipino in their respective localities.
Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue introduced the concept of Innovation Ecosystems, a framework that aims to create a thriving innovation ecosystem that encourages LGUs to adopt new and innovative approaches to problem-solving, decision-making, and implementation. She shared some of the strategies and interventions that could help achieve this vision, including merit-based resource mobilization, transformational training, global immersions and exchanges, frontier technologies worklabs, and digital jobs and startups development.
The awards were divided into four categories: G2C (Government-to-Customer), G2I (Government Internal Operations), G2B (Government-to-Business), and G2G (Government Interoperability). Winners from cities, municipalities, and provinces were recognized in each category.
Special citations were given for Innovative Use of Funds and Transformational and Disruptive Solutions. The Digital Governance Awards aim to recognize and promote excellence in digital governance and encourage government agencies to adopt innovative and effective digital solutions for their operations.
The Digital Governance Awards initiative has received global recognition, including being recognized as one of the Champion Projects in the World Summit on the Information Society Prizes 2023, affirming the Philippines’ vision to be a model of digital governance for the rest of the world. The DICT remains committed to being the primary mover of digital transformation in the country through citizen-driven and citizen-centric policies and strategies.
The DICT remains relentless in being the primary mover of digital transformation in the country through citizen-driven and citizen-centric policies and strategies. Secretary Uy concluded his speech by hoping that the Digital Governance Conference and Awards Ceremony would spark renewed hope, confidence, and vigor among all attendees, inspiring them to consistently create a digital environment where no one is left behind.
Batapa-Sigue, as former president of NICP in 2012, led the implementation of the eGov Awards, recognizing LGUs for their best practices in integrating ICT capabilities and solutions to deliver public services to their constituents and stakeholders. It evolved into the Digital Cities Awards and now the Digital Governance Awards, demonstrating the growth and impact of digital governance in the Philippines.
The efforts of the Digital Governance Awards have not gone unnoticed, and it has been recognized by the World Summit on the Information Society of the International Telecommunications Union. Undersecretary Batapa-Sigue shared the award with everyone in the room, highlighting the collective effort of the digital governance community.
Undersecretary Batapa-Sigue encouraged everyone to continue working towards a more innovative, effective, and responsive government that would have a positive impact on the lives of citizens.
Undersecretary David Almirol presented the eGovernance initiatives of the DICT and encouraged LGUs to use the platforms to enhance or integrate their exisiting platforms or to build their services.
DILG Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas expressed the support of DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos to the DGA program and expressed their appreciation to DICT and NICP.
The awards were divided into four categories, namely G2C (Government-to-Customer), G2I (Government Internal Operations), G2B (Government-to-Business), and G2G (Government Interoperability). Each category had winners from cities, municipalities, and provinces.
The G2C Award winners for the city level are as follows: Bogo City’s Smart City Project: Go Digital! Go Smart! took the top spot, followed by Alaminos City’s Barangay Health Worker Information System and Quezon City’s QC eServices. In the municipality level, Maramag e-Mapping Digitization Program of Maramag, Bukidnon emerged as the winner, followed by eMoncadaApp of Moncada, Tarlac, and Municipal Learners Monitoring System (MLMS) of Mina, Iloilo. Meanwhile, Agusan del Sur Province’s Integrated Hospital Operations Management System (iHOMS) was hailed as the champion in the province level, with Find Jobs: La Union Employment Portal of La Union Province and Enterprise Feedback Management System of Davao de Oro Province taking the second and third place, respectively.
For the G2I category, Manila City’s Digitalizing Cold Chain Principle: Ensuring Vaccine Safety: The City of Manila/Sta Ana Hospital Response secured the top spot in the city level. Alaminos City, Pangasinan’s Unified Local Government ICT Services (Uni-LOGICTs) and Cauayan City’s Scholarship Management System got second and third place respectively. In the municipality level, eAmilyar of Libertad, Antique took the top spot, followed by eDocument Track of Bayambang, Pangasinan and Project Management and Monitoring System of Carmona, Cavite. Finally, the Cavite Provincial Jail System of Cavite Province was named the winner in the province level, followed by ICT Service Ticketing System of Davao de Oro Province and Capitol Cab System of Negros Occidental Province.
The G2B Award recognized the top digital solutions that empower businesses. In the city level, Quezon City’s QC Delivers: Automated Document Delivery System came in first, followed by GO! BPLS of Manila City and CITYMAP: Guiding the City towards Growth, Innovation and Economic Resiliency of Mandaue City. In the municipality level, Hataw Permit of Bacnotan, La Union was named the winner, followed by Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and EBPLS of Kabacan, Cotabato. Meanwhile, PGENRO-PT System of Iloilo Province emerged as the winner in the province level.
The G2G Award recognized digital solutions that enhance interoperability within government operations. In the city level, Automated Collection Management Information System (ACMIS) of Roxas City was declared the winner, followed by QC Biz Easy: Online Unified Business Permit Application System of Quezon City and Centralized Payroll Information System of Cebu City. In the municipality level, The Innovative Approach for Monitoring & Management of Collections & Disbursements thru GAAMS of Taytay, Rizal took the top spot, followed by Registry of Barangay Inhabitants Information System of General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite and eDITS (Electronic Disbursement and Invoice Tracking System) of Loon, Bohol. Finally, Blood Distribution Management System of Davao de Oro Province was hailed as the winner in the province level.
Aside from the category winners, special citations were given for Innovative Use of Funds and Transformational and Disruptive Solutions. The Barangay Health Worker Information System from Alaminos City, Pangasinan, won the special citation for innovative use of funds in the city level. The eMoncadaApp from Moncada, Tarlac, won the same award in the municipality level. The Cavite Provincial Jail System from Cavite Province won the special citation for Innovative Use of Funds in the province level.
For the Transformational and Disruptive Solutions special citation, the QC Delivers: Automated Document Delivery System from Quezon City won the city level, followed by The Innovative Approach for Monitoring & Management of Collections & Disbursements thru GAAMS of Taytay, Rizal won the municipality level, and the Find Jobs: La Union Employment Portal of La Union Province won the province level
The Digital Governance Awards aim to recognize and promote excellence in digital governance and encourage government agencies to adopt innovative and effective digital solutions for their operations.
Jocelle Batapa Sigue 