THE Mandaue City Government is planning to implement a residential ID system that aims to make the delivery of public services faster, more transparent, and more efficient.
Mandaue City Administrator Attorney Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on said the proposed project is part of the City’s broader plan to digitalize its operations and move toward becoming a “smart city.”
“We were in Quezon City a month ago, and one of the things we observed and discussed with Mayor Thadeo Jovito Ouano was how efficient their service delivery system has become,” Malig-on said.
“That’s something we also want to achieve in Mandaue City,” he added.
He said the City plans to develop a single identification system for all residents. This ID will make it easier for citizens to access public services and for the local government to monitor who benefits from them.
“If we have just one ID for every resident, we can immediately identify who lives in a particular area, especially during calamities,” he said. “Right now, our teams have to go house-to-house just to find out who’s living there and who isn’t.”
Malig-on added that the system will also address frequent complaints from residents about alleged favoritism in service distribution.
“Sometimes, people have to go through their barangay leaders to apply for city assistance, and we often receive complaints that only selected people are given help,” he said.
“With this ID system, everyone will have their own code. That makes it easier to access services directly and easier for the city to monitor everything,” he added.
The City Administrator emphasized that this initiative is not just about convenience, but also about fairness and accountability.
“This will reduce human intervention,” he said. “The fewer layers people have to go through, the fewer chances there are for bias or favoritism.”
To complement this effort, the City has also launched a public hotline for the first time, allowing residents to directly file their complaints or feedback about government services.
“This is part of our commitment to transparency and accountability,” Malig-on said. “We want people to have a voice and to know that their concerns are being heard.”
The implementation of the Mandaue City Residence ID System is targeted for early next year, provided that the City Council approves the proposed 2026 budget, which includes funding for the project.
Malig-on said that next year’s budget also allocates funds for the digitalization of the City Assessor’s Office, which marks a major step toward fully digital government services.
“This ID system will be very helpful because it connects everything,” he said. “Eventually, Mandaue City will evolve into a smart city. With one database, we’ll easily know who the residents are and how to deliver services efficiently.”
He added that while the guidelines and processes for the ID are still being finalized, the local government is determined to push forward with digital transformation.
“Once the budget is approved, we’ll start implementing this,” Malig-on said. “This is all part of the city’s vision to make government services accessible, efficient, and transparent for every Mandauehanon.” (ABC)