This is Part 2 of a four part series. See Part 1, Part 3 and Part 4 here.
Over 208 government officials and senior technology executives from across the Philippine government, academic institutions and healthcare organisations convened at the 3rd Philippine OpenGov Leadership Forum 2019 on 25 April 2019 at the New World Makati Hotel.
Held in conjunction with the Philippine OpenGov Leadership Forum, the OpenGov Recognition of Excellence (RoE) 2019 recognised and celebrated a total of 13 government agencies, academic institutions, organisations and a city from the Philippines for striving towards excellence in ICT strategies, policies and initiatives.
The annual OpenGov Recognition of Excellence (RoE) aims to set new benchmarks for government ICT innovation in the ASEAN and ANZ regions.
The Philippines has embarked on an exciting digital transformation journey, seeking to improve the lives of citizens through the use of digital technology. This year’s OpenGov Recognition of Excellence award winners are:
Department of Energy
OpenGov is conferring the award to the Department of Energy (DOE) for the introduction of the Earthquake Readiness System.
The DOE introduced the use of the Filipino-made Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS) software, which is a tool for preparing and responding to calamities and disasters.
It is a hazard and risk simulation software that aims to produce hazard and risk maps immediately after the occurrence of a strong and potentially damaging earthquake.
This software enhances the capacity of the energy sector in assessing the risk hazards of an impending earthquake that may have adverse impacts on energy facilities and services, as well as people.
REDAS has three main components – Produces seismic hazard maps; Builds exposure database; and Computes earthquake risk.
One of its main objectives is to equip local officials and planners with a tool they can easily manipulate. It has important features designed for their local needs, which they can use for making prompt decisions for quick deployment of rescue and relief operations.
REDAS can be used to compute ground-shaking, earthquake-induced landslides, liquefaction and even tsunamis. Other capabilities of the tool include earthquake sorting capability, generating seismicity maps, onscreen map digitisation and building of database on earthquake hazard risks as well as wind hazards.
Department of Transportation
OpenGov is conferring the award to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the launching of the Sumbong Bulok, Sumbong Usok (SBSU) Digital Hotline.
The SBSU digital chat bot hotline is part of the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernisation program.
Concerned public may report smoke-belching and other traffic violations through the I-ACT Facebook Messenger, giving 45 million Facebook users in the Philippines the capability to report road violations instantly.
The platform will automatically enable netizens to post a photo or video and identify the location where the violation was committed through GPS.
Additional violations that can be reported include vehicles that are no longer roadworthy, smoke-belchers, colorum PUVs, and illegally parked vehicles, among others.
This platform is a mechanism for the Filipinos to be more involved in helping implement changes on the road through the use of social media. As such, reporting is available at any time.
This is the perfect opportunity to harness the power of social media. The success of the project will rely greatly on the participation and contribution of the Filipino people.
Quezon City Local Government
OpenGov is recognising the Quezon City (QC) Local Government for its efforts in making their residents’ lives easier through the Batas QC Mobile App.
The Batas QC mobile app provides users with a summary of QC ordinances, enabling the citizens with the ease of searching for specific ordinances or browsing through archive.
The purpose of the app is to enlighten the citizens and advise the enforcers when they implement the law.
It targets to counter ordinance violations by educating residents about the regulations and corresponding penalties.
The app categorises ordinances according to their nature, which can be refined through filters. Users merely need to type the ordinance they are looking for through the app’s search bar, which will bring up its summary and the corresponding penalties for its violations.
There is no need to read the whole text of the ordinance for they are summarised in layman’s term in order for the ordinary people to understand it.
Aside from ordinances and penalties, the app also provides announcements such as schedule of events, meetings and infographics. Citizens can get information on events that may be of interest to them.
The app will be updated weekly to add new ordinances passed in the weekly council meetings.
In the long run, this mobile app will reduce law violation and make Quezon City a safer place to live in.