CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The City of San Fernando has once again bagged the e-Readiness Leadership Award for its strategic utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to enhance the delivery of government services to its constituents.
Out of 140 cities assessed, San Fernando was one of the cities awarded as e-Ready in the country during the e-BPLS (Electronic Business Permits and Licensing System) Summit 2017 held last Tuesday at Novotel Manila Araneta Center.
A special plaque of recognition was given to the local government represented by Business License and Permit Division chief Joseph Garcia and Management Information and Technology Division officer-in-charge Marthy Zapata by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The award is based on the 2016 e-Readiness survey for cities and municipalities conducted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government and Department of Trade and Industry, which evaluates local government units using three major indicators including ICT capability, ICT environment and web presence.
Other cities that were awarded were Pasig City, Valencia, Bukidnon, Cebu City, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga del Sur, Ormoc, Leyte, Iriga, Camarines Sur, Valenzuela City, Panago, Davao del Norte, and Marikina City.
Mayor Edwin Santiago expressed his gratitude to the organizing bodies for recognizing the city’s efforts and initiatives for the second time in a row.
He also assured that the city will continue to improve the quality of systematic tax and revenue collection and innovative processing of other government services.
“The efficient use of ICT not only gives us a competitive edge to attract more local and foreign investors but also helps us better create a transparent government that our beloved Fernandinos deserve,” he said.
“The conscious efforts that we put in taking advantage of the information age of our time are but relevant to the kind of future that we are paving for the next generations. This is also our commitment to our local entrepreneurs and investors that doing business in the city will always be business friendly, time efficient and transparent,” Santiago added.
In 2014, the city was also given the same prestigious award by then ICT Office of the Department of Science and Technology. (PR)