In fiscal year 2021, only 5 percent of LGUs made efforts to accept electronic payments through the Electronic Payment and Collection System, according to the Department of Finance.
Smart VP and head of regulatory affairs Roy D. Ibay said the prevalence of “arbitrary” regulatory fees imposed by some LGUs such as tower fees, inspection fees, and audit fees continue to be "major roadblocks for ICT growth."
The Anti-Red Tape Authority reminded LGUs to automate their transactions before June 17, 2021, by putting up the electronic Business One-Stop Shop or e-BOSS, which uses the Electronic Business Permitting and Licensing System or eBPLS developed by the DICT to allow the public to perform government transactions online.
Several municipalities, cities, and provinces were recognized for their excellence in the deployment of ICT solutions during the Digital Governance Awards (DGA) 2020.
Business owners in the municipality of Alfonso Lista, Ifugao can look forward to faster and easier business permits and licensing applications with the launch of the Electronic Business Permits and Licensing System (eBPLS) last November 20, 2020.
Software teams developing Covid-19 contact-tracing apps for local government units (LGUs) are advised to incorporate a privacy-by-design (PbD) approach and allow users to opt in and out of digital contact tracing.
The national government is urging LGUs to ramp up usage of digital tools and services to better cope with the economic setback brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, even as access to ICT remains riddled with deep-seated problems.
The DICT said there is a compelling need for LGUs and HOAs to cooperate in addressing the need for connectivity and better quality of ICT services especially in the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Globe Telecom said LGUs and homeowner associations are the major reasons why the Philippines suffers from having very low site density compared to other countries.
The NTC made the appeal after receiving reports from various telecommunication companies that their frontliners tasked to do repair works on fixed broadband access cabinets were being prevented to enter gated villages due to the community quarantine.
