ILOILO -- The Iloilo Provincial Government, through its Information Communication Technology Management Office, was adjudged third in the recently-concluded Digital Cities Philippine Awards.

Organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines and Department of Interior and Local Government, the award aims to highlight and promote best ICT practices in local governance.

Iloilo placed third in Best in eGov Customer Empowerment Award using its province-wide electronic assessment and collection system or “eAssyscols” as entry.

ICTMO Chief Salvacion Sibunga received the award on behalf of Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. during the ceremony held at the Philippine International Convention Center.

eAssyscols is a software program used by Iloilo’s Provincial Treasurer’s Office and Provincial Assessor’s Office to fast track the assessment of real properties and collection of taxes.

The system has been in use for over 18 years and it has been actually replicated by 42 local government units in the province.

It is regularly updated making assessment values and payment dues up-to-date. The then tremendous work that required more time and effort in document retrieval prior to assessment and payment was eliminated by integrating ICT into the process.

Using eAssycols contributed in attaining DILG’s Excell Awards Hall of Fame and for the Provincial Treasurer and Assessor Office in winning major awards in the 7th Quarter Conference Workshop and Year-end General Assembly of the Regional Association ofTreasurers and Assessors in Region 6 in 2017.

It also helped lloilo bagged the Most Outstanding Performance in Collection of Locally Sourced Revenues, Most Outstanding Performance in Economic Enterprise and Early Submission of Reports (electronic statement of receipts and expenditures) and Most Outstanding Provincial Assessor’s Office in 2016. (Jezza A. Nepomoceno)