Regenerating the Economy

Technology does ‘wonders’ for Iloilo City Hall

By admin ⋅ December 9, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

HIGH TECH - Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Maryse Gautier (4th from left) of World Bank inspect the LOGOFIND project, which computerizes business and real estate tax information of the Iloilo City government. (Photo by Tara Yap)

ILOILO City’s P12-million computerization project is finally giving the City Government dividends, particularly in its effort to validate businesses and real properties here.

Half of the P12-million budget came from the World Bank in the form of a grant. The other half is in the form of a loan which will be shard equally by the City Government and the Department of Finance (DOF).

With the wonders of computer technology, which has been in use for many years in Cebu and other highly-urbanized cities in the country, the City Government was able to validate at least 20,000 businesses and 145,000 real properties in just five months.

Mayor Jerry Treñas said the computerization project focused on the operations of the City Treasurer’s Office and City Assessor’s Office.

The WB grant, which was coursed through the DOF, included 30 brand new computers. Its cash component was used to purchase software, hardware and payment for the encoders.

Treñas said the city has already paid 25 percent of the loan component of the grant while the balance will be paid in three to five years.
Yesterday, WB portfolio manager Maryse Gautier and Roberto Tan, DOF undersecretary and national treasurer, led the launching of real property tax administration (RPTA) and business tax enhancement program (BTEP) at City Hall in Robinsons Mall here.

The mayor said the project “marks another milestone in the history of the city government as we finally realize the full completion of computerization of important documents signaling that we are more than ready to face the unstoppable growth of the city.”

“Through the real property tax administration and business tax enhancement program, the city is able to implement in its system records conversion and management, tax collection enforcement and data computerization which has significantly improved the records keeping resulting to an increase in efficiency in public service,” Treñas stressed.

“I am happy to share that since we begin the data computerization in February up to June, we have been able to completely encode more than 145,000 real property units and 20,000 plus business tax units,” said Treñas.

He affirmed: “Truly, the significance of this project can never be understated. Before, it would take us some time to retrieve a client’s record and probably more time to look for older ones. Now, everything is made available through the press of a keypad.”

Treñas boasts of the computerized system saying the Ilonggos cannot afford to lag behind while the world is moving rapidly and inexorably to a high-tech future where lifestyles and economics is largely influenced by information technology.

He said that “if we aspire for global competitiveness and progress, we must simply keep up with the technological strides of other cities and nations and ride the wave of progress.”

“We are privileged to have the support and partnership of major organizations and public agencies to help us in the realization of our developmental projects,” said Treñas.

He said the computerization initiative is fast tracking the processing of permits which can be issued immediately as long as applicants are ready with their necessary papers.

Jeehan V. Fernandez, The Daily Guardian