The Aklan provincial government is looking to digitize major transactions at the provincial capitol, according to governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, who unveiled the initiative as part of the culmination of the Visayas ICT Organization Congress (VICTOR) held at recently at Seawind Resort Boracay.
Photo by Jun N. Aguirre
The launch is part of the province’s bid to incubate its own IT-BPM industry in the wake of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s consideration of Aklan as the next hub of the IT-BPM industry due to its proximity to Boracay Island.
“We are bullish and excited about the prospects of Aklan having an IT-BPM industry. We are confident in our large talent pool, infrastructure presence, good business environment, and cost competitiveness,” said Miraflores.
“I am (also) excited to announce that Aklan will embark on a banner program called Digital Aklan 2024 — a time-bound implementation of a digitalization program in all its 17 municipalities in partnership with the Aklan provincial government and the DICT,” he added.
The provincial government hopes to digitize government transactions by 2024, including procurement, dispensing of funds, and local taxation, among others.
For his part, DICT secretary Ivan John Uy said his department is supportive of the banner program of the local government. “It is good that the Aklan province is diversifying its programs from tourism to the ICT industry. We hope that the transformation will be similar to that transformation of Boracay. In the 1990’s, Boracay had only a few resorts, but now it has lots to offer in the tourism industry,” he said.
