In support of
President Ferdinand R.
Marcos, Jr.’s directive to
improve and digitalize
business processes, Department of the Interior
and Local Government
(DILG) Secretary Benhur
Abalos on Monday underscored the Department’s
efforts in building smart
cities and sustainable
communities in collaboration with other government
agencies through digitalization, dynamic innovation, and enhancement of
connectivity.
In his talk during
The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and
Municipalities 2023,
Abalos said LGUs are
streamlining their regulatory processes pursuant
to Republic 11032 or Ease
of Doing Business Act,
citing that when he was
Mandaluyong City mayor,
he immediately acted on
complaints from the public
if the LGU offices failed to
comply with the law.
He also said Executive Order (EO) No.
32, signed by the President last July, streamlined
permit processes for the
construction of telecommunications and internet
infrastructure. The said
EO, he said, states that
no other national or local
permit or clearance shall
be required for the construction and operation of
telecommunications and
Internet infrastructure except those required by law.
“Usually kapag
magtatayo ng telecoms
tower, ang daming red
tape. Because of this executive order, binawasan
na ang requirements at inaasahan nating bibilis ang
interconnectivity,” he said.
As of September 15 of this year, there
are 8,311 permits for telecom towers that were approved by 668 cities and
municipalities, while 2,404
permits are still being processed in 229 cities and
municipalities. “Nakatutok po kami dito. If at any
given time, bumagal ito or
idelay ito, we will issue a
show cause order to the
LGUs,” he said.
He also said
continuous efforts are being done to adopt digital
or electronic facilities for
business registration and
renewal and for the assessment and collection
of local taxes, fees, and
charges as well as to shift
to cashless payments pursuant to EO 170.
“We have a joint
initiative with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
called Paleng-QR. Bibili
ka ng gulay at pagkain sa
palengke, hindi mo na kailangan magdala ng cash.
Several LGUs across the
country are now into cashless transactions through
this system,” he said.
According to him,
there is also a partnership
with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
on eReport which allows
the police and fire stations
to respond quickly during
emergencies, and eLGU
System which covers and
digitalizes a wide range
of local government services.
He also said best
police practices, such as
Antipolo City’s red button
in small stores to alert
the police when there are
thefts, and Quezon City’s
drones for quicker police
response time, are also
worth replicating.
In relation to this,
he said the Department
earlier issued a memorandum for all cities and municipalities to require businesses to install CCTV
systems prior to the issuance of business permits.
He said he is planning to
discuss with Metro Manila
mayors and the MMDA
to come up with just one
unified system to interconnect the CCTV systems in
the metropolis.
He shared that
he has seen the security
system and practices in
Dubai, and the Philippine
government can use it as
a template for future innovations. DILG.GOV
Related Stories
August 5, 2024