JUMPSTARTING ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE IN THE LOCAL

“The state of the art can be used to reinvent the art of the State.”

Chandrababu Naidu

Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh

The determination and political will of former Governor Josie dela Cruz to make e-governance work was crucial in the enculturation of Information Technology in the provincial government bureaucracy of Bulacan to produce high-impact management practices. She carried the IT agenda in her administration with relentless fervor. The result is an award-winning Management Information System that had become a model of local government modernization and efficiency.

This topic of E-governance experience of Bulacan had been the subject of many presentations in different conferences. I first presented this on behalf of the Province during the “International Conference on Information Technology and Local Governance: Best Practice in the Philippines, Korea and Singapore” sponsored by Yuchengco Center for East Asia of De La Salle University and the Asia Foundation (October 19-20, 2001). Then again, during the “United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific Region Congress in Daegu, Korea (April 26-29, 2005). Governor Josie dela Cruz was a preferred speaker on this topic in many local and international conferences. On some occasions where she could not make it, like the two international conferences mentioned earlier, I pitched in for her.

Reenergizing the Bureaucracy

The Bulacan Information System was designed to support Provincial Government operations in specific, specialized areas where service is frontlined and revenues are crucial. The core idea was to computerize strategic operations in revenue generation, fiscal management, supply and property management, development planning and management, records management, inter-department and inter-LGU information linkages to catapult efficiency to greater heights.

When Governor Josefina dela Cruz assumed the provincial post in 1998, there were a lot of challenges and a lot of room for improvement in the area of government reforms. A study concluded that there was an overstaffed bureaucracy, irrelevant systems and procedures, low morale among employees, lack of sufficient incentive mechanisms, resistance to change, and a need for reorientation among government personnel

Clearly, there was a need to reenergize the bureaucracy to a level where every employee could appreciate the merits of an e-governed organization.

Below is a process matrix showing the major activities undertaken to implement the computerization of the provincial bureaucracy. Sleek and flawless as it may appear in diagram, it does not capture the arduous process of building awareness, knowledge and eventually, practice of management powered by Information Technology.

People, PCs and Change

Tracing back Bulacan’s adventure into the digital universe, one would appreciate the advantages of utilizing local talents and resources to build on a basic infrastructure held together by a collective passion to learn.

In the beginning, we pooled computer literate people from different departments and tasked them to help in preparing a computerization plan. Vision-limited as it may then seem, all we knew was that we wanted to computerize and we wanted it done by our people. It was a period of trial and error and the results were not satisfactory.

It was in 1997 that then Governor Roberto Pagdanganan agreed to formally set up a group to oversee the computerization agenda. Thus, the Provincial Management Information Systems (MIS) Office was born. We hired very young top computer course graduates of our local universities and returned the previously pooled computer-literate employees to their mother offices. I recommended to the Governor, Mr. Rex Mangalindan, a cum laude graduate of the University of Regina Carmeli to head the team.

It was at this point that people of Associates in Rural Development/Governance on Local Democracy (ARD-GOLD) - a program of the USAID took notice of our efforts. Technical assistance was then provided to us through a consultant commissioned by the funding agency. With their help, The Provincial Information System Plan or ISP was established, and became the blueprint of our computerization program. Soon enough, the plan gained ground and took roots in the provincial capitol.

The turning point was when Gov. Josefina dela Cruz became the new Governor of Bulacan and saw to it that the program would reach quantum proportions. Since then, the team was unstoppable, with our very bright and young people completing and installing one system after another in key system areas.

The Provincial Management Information System Office (PMISO), was elevated in position. From a small division under the Office of the Provincial Administrator in 1997 it became a semi-department in 1999 and finally, to a full-pledged department in year 2000.

Today, the PMISO which was renamed Provincial Information Technology Office (PITO) is manned by seventeen (17) people, taking charge of three (3) divisions: the Web Development and Maintenance Division, the System Development and Maintenance Division, and the Computer Network Development and Maintenance Division.

From ten (10) computer units in 1997, we now have a total of three hundred twenty-one (321) workstations.

Following are some of the home-grown systems developed by the team:

The Human Resource Information System (HRIS)

Bulacan’s Human Resource Information System, formerly called Personnel Management Information System or PMIS, was among the first to be developed by the Provincial Information Technology Office. We thought it was much more manageable relative to the development of the Real Property Tax Information System. At the start, we desperately wanted an “early win” to somehow help us in the management of change and to boost our own morale also. And indeed PMIS gave us a reason to celebrate and carry on with the program.

When we computerized our personnel records and used ATM cards to withdraw our salaries, significant improvements in service delivery and savings on the part of the government were seen:

· Payroll Preparation – Before done by 26 payroll clerks and cashiers, now done by 2 employees.

· Processing Time in Service Record Preparation – Before done in 20 minutes, now can be finished in 15 seconds.

· Processing Time in Remittance to GSIS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth – Before done in 5 days, now finished in 4 hours.

· Processing Time in Preparing Pay Slip – Before done in 5 days, now done in 4 hours.

· Processing Time in Preparing BIR Form – Before done in 25 days, now done in 3 day

On salaries alone, it was estimated that the Provincial Government saved P2.5 million a year by automating payroll preparation where twenty-six (26) clerks and cashiers used to manually prepare the payrolls was reduced to two (2) trained payroll staff.

The HRIS now covers three (3) areas, namely, 201 File System, General Payroll System, and Timekeeping System. It currently maintains one thousand six hundred forty (1,640) employees’ records like personal information, educational background, seminars & trainings, leave credits, service records, and others. Employee’s attendance is now monitored using a digital time recorder or swipe machine, which is connected via Local Area Network (LAN), linking the Provincial Information Technology Office and the Provincial Human Resource Management Office (PHRMO).

At present, employees can view their records maintained in the HRIS database anytime, anywhere using the internet through the official website of the province. They would know if they have recorded three consecutive tardiness in their daily time record and therefore expects a Notice of Tardiness from the PHRMO.

The Real Property Tax Information System (RPTIS)

Real Property Tax is the bulk of the locally generated revenues specifically for provinces. Unlike cities and municipalities, provinces do not have business taxes and license taxes to supplement revenues. Thus, a reliable Real Property Tax Information System (RPTIS) proved to be very important.

Bulacan’s RPTIS is a system intended for the Assessors Office’s Property Assessment Division and for the Land Tax Division of the Treasurers Office’s systems of tax billing and collection of taxes. RPTIS has two (2) modules namely Assessment Module, and Billing and Collection Module. It is being used in the conversion of Field Appraisal and Assessment Sheet or FAAS data into computer-readable information. Encoding of our twenty-one (21) towns and three (3) cities is now 100% completed.

Because of the provincial government’s investments in developing the RPTIS, crucial processes in real property assessment had been sped up by as much as 93%. Even manpower use for field appraisals had been reduced by 100%. Tax bills and notices for a whole municipality can be mass-produced automatically in one day, just like your regular water and electric bills!

It is noteworthy to mention that its pilot municipality was able to collect an increase of P14.5 Million collection from 2001 to 2002 when they used RPTIS as a tool for real property tax assessment, billing and collection.

By providing municipalities technical assistance and on-call consultancy in setting up their local real property tax systems, the province was able to adrenalize the provincewide taxation operations.

The Financial Management Information System (FMIS)

Integrating Bulacan’s fiscal operations is the Financial Management Information System or FMIS. It is compliant to the electronic New Government Accounting System (eNGAS) of the Commission on Audit. FMIS has three (3) modules distinct to the requirements of the financial offices of the provincial government: the Budget Module for the Provincial Budget Office (PBO), the Accounting Module for the Provincial Accounting Office, and the Treasury Module for the Provincial Assessment and Treasury Office (PATO), specifically the Treasury Division. It is customized for the province of Bulacan and runs in a Local Area Network environment. At present, some useful features of the FMIS are also available via internet through the province’s official website. It serves as a one-click tool to see the financial position of the province and an immediate basis for decision-making and project formulation. Instead of pooling data from tons of records and paperwork, the system immediately provides information instantly.

Bulacan Hospitals Information System (BHIS)

Bulacan Hospitals Information System, formerly called District Hospital Information System or DHIS, is a comprehensive, integrated information system designed to manage the administrative, financial and clinical aspects of the Bulacan Provincial Hospital (BPH) and the six (6) district hospitals.

As an area of medical informatics the aim of an BHIS is to achieve the best possible support of patient care and administration by electronic data processing.

BHIS integrates related processes and functions of Admission Section, Out-Patient Department, Pharmacy, Supply Section, Laboratory, X-Ray, Billing and Collection, Records Section, Administrative Office and Director’s Office.

The Volunteer Workers’ Information System (VWIS)

Volunteer Worker’s Information System covers some 18,056 Barangay Tanods, Barangay Health Workers, Day Care Workers, Disaster Volunteers and Mother Leaders of the Provincial Government. The Province provides each one of these volunteers insurance protection in case of accidents and death.

The complete individual profile of each volunteer is kept in the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office. The database serves as reference for processing some 15 death claims per month. Of course, the database has other important uses especially in political mapping.

The Government Vehicle Information System (GVIS)

The Government Vehicle Information System provides automated inventory of some one hundred thirty-one (131) service vehicles of the provincial government. It provides a systematic recording of purchases and repairs and maintenance of all service vehicles and bases for decisions on vehicle replacement and other operational decisions of the Provincial General Services Office (PGSO). Registration and Vehicle Insurance payments are also monitored.

Geographic Information System (GIS) -Enhanced Mayor’s Permit and Licensing Information System (G-MPLIS)

The G-MPLIS enables access to and storage of an up-to-date Mayor’s Permit and Licensing database, delinquent payers monitoring, facilitates transactions involved in applying of business permits in order to shorten transaction period, and generation and printing of reports and forms necessary for securing permits with graphical information.

To date, GMPLIS is already installed in nine (9) municipalities of the province where installation, training and technical support has been provided by the provincial government to those LGUs.

The Provincial Government of Bulacan Intranet

Bulacan has maximized the use of intranet technology to link its departments virtually. Departments are directly linked with each other through several Intermediate Distribution Facilities (IDFs) serving different catchment areas, which are centrally connected through the Main Distribution Facility (MDF) housed at the PITO, equipping them with the tools and technology for simultaneous communications, memoranda and other forms of digital inter-office communications. Messages and files can now be retrieved and sent through e-mail and instant messaging software.

Remote offices and district hospitals also have their own local area networks.

The Provincial Government of Bulacan Website

The Bulacan Website has been in the digital highway since 1998. In 2006, it was awarded as the “Best E-Government Website in the Philippines.

Among the well-loved sections of the Bulacan Website are the Bulacan Job Central, Bulacan Media Center, Tourism Section, Business Section, News Section, Personalized Guestbook, and Shout box. The website provides links to web-based versions of some Bulacan Information Systems like e-procurement, the FMIS and HRIS. It has new and interesting features like downloadable Bulacan desktop wallpapers and Bulacan music. It also offers streaming video where episodes featured in Sulong Pa Bagong Bulakenyo program is being aired. Soon, the Radyo Bulacan programs will be available through streaming audio.

With this website, the governor is certain that Bulakeños here and abroad are able to access and assess the performance of the administration, shattering the boundaries of distance and time to promote transparency in governance.

Managing Change

Like any government organization steeped in traditional management and culture, the Provincial Government of Bulacan had to take conscious steps in ensuring that Information Technology and its many benefits will be embraced by its users and, eventually its beneficiaries.

Back in the1990s, the first hurdle was the lack of knowledge in computer operations of personnel. To prove that no one is exempt from change, orientations on computerization among departments were done together with Governor Dela Cruz herself. The MIS took the lead in teaching government employees and department heads. An executive order made computer literacy mandatory for everybody in the bureaucracy, while continually upgrading computer units and skills in offices.

People were also apprehensive of being displaced due to the reorganization required of the burgeoning IT program. I chaired the Local Reorganization Committee and the Placement Committee when we abolished the 26 clerk and cashiers positions to give way for the computerization of salary withdrawals. It was hard. But this apprehension was allayed by re-training, re-orientation, and transfer. Those who have to be reorganized-out were given ample time to look for jobs.

Dialogues were also conducted in all departments to explain the changes in the structure brought by new technology. An appropriate avenue for dialogues with employees were during “Birthday Celebrator’s” meetings held every week, with the Governor leading the occasion.

Gov. dela Cruz also encouraged all employees to email her with express assurance that “you can be sure you will be able to bring to the Governor’s attention whatever you want me to know”. I remember one instance when the drivers of the capitol wanted to be exempted from wearing T-shirt uniforms which was similar to the utility workers and instead wear a barong similar to the office employees. They sent their appeal to the governor, copy furnished me, through an email coming from the capitoldrivers@yahoo.com. Indeed their request was read by the Governor and was instantly granted.

Surveys also proved helpful in finding out how our performances are rated by the people themselves.

New incentive mechanisms were put in place while strengthening the reward system and modifying performance standards and evaluation systems. Continuous improvement of the working environment proved that the administration was serious in professionalizing and modernizing public service.

On top of all these efforts to manage a fast-evolving government culture are Value Orientation Seminars emphasizing on creating an environment where change towards excellence is welcomed and encouraged.

Too hard as it may seem in the beginning, the fruits of relentless efforts to promote and implement computerization in the provincial government were reaped when the Province of Bulacan, through its Bulacan Information Systems, bagged an international award in the 2005 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) for its Best Practices in the e-government category. Then recently, March of 2007, the Provincial Government of Bulacan’s IT innovations was awarded as one of the Seven Most Outstanding Innovative Projects in Government by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Administering Amidst Torrential Change

The Province of Bulacan had been fortunate to have leaders who are open to the challenge of the digital revolution. Administering amidst the huge waves of change that swept the bureaucracy during Bulacan’s own technological transformation, necessitated the clearest grasp of the program’s ultimate vision - excellence in public service.

The provincial coffers speak well of the economic miracle that e-Governance made possible. In the 2007 Report of the Commission of Audit on the financial status of all LGUs in the Philippine, Bulacan ranked No. 1 in the Gross Revenue Income and No. 3 in Net Income. The lean and mean bureaucracy that had earned for Bulacan a place in the Hall of Fame of the Galing Pook Awards, the highest and most prestigious awards on LGU governance, lends convincing rationale for our digital adventure.

But, above all these accomplishments are the stripes we earned in learning to manage people and the multicolored interests that come into interplay when change becomes the only alternative and when the only way to go is up.