Interior and Local Government Secretary Atty. Benjamin C. Abalos Jr. (INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA)
This number translates to a total of 921 local government units (LGUs) that have incorporated technology to streamline services for their constituents.
“Of the 921,122 lgus have their own system application, and [yung] 799, ang ginamit nila ‘yung system ng DICT na libre (the 799 uses DICT system, which is free),” Abalos said in a Palace briefing.
Abalos was referring to the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s E-Local Government Unit (eLGU) system.
Abalos added that one significant impact of the reforms on Ease of Doing Business (EODB) is the increase in revenues from local business taxes, fees, and charges.
The revenue skyrocketed from P50 billion in 2018 to P208 billion in 2022.
Another impact of the EODB is the increased number of registered businesses, from 1.5 million in 2018 to 4.4 million in 2022, he said.
“That is times four. So, malaking bagay talaga ito na pasimplehan mo ang proseso, na you’re into digital,” said Abalos.
(So, simplifying the process is really a big thing, when you go digital.)
“Like what President Marcos had said, digital transformation is key for the country’s full economic recovery. Susi po ito para mapaunlad ang ating ekonomiya at mapabilis ang proseso lalong-lalo na sa pagkuha ng business permits at licenses,” he said.
(Like what President Marcos had said, digital transformation is key for the country’s full economic recovery. This is key to progressing our economy and to speed up the process of getting business permits and licenses.)
Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary David Almirol Jr., who was in the same briefing, also stressed that the eLGU system indeed eases the public’s transaction with their LGUs.
“Nagkaroon kami ng joint partnership at dinevelop namin ang tinatawag na electronic local government system. So ang eLGU po ay hindi lang magsi-streamline ng process [kundi] para pwede mo na gawin ‘yung proseso, pag-avail ng LGU services kahit nasa bahay ka nalang,” he said.
(We entered into a joint partnership and developed what we call the Electronic Local Government Unit (eLGU) system. So, the eLGU is not just about streamlining the process but also making it possible for you to complete the process and avail of LGU services even if you’re just at home.) (With a report from Adrian Parunago)