More than half of the country’s local government unit (LGU) population has already been digitally connected, with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) owing the digital advancement to the continued collaboration among government agencies.
In a statement over the weekend, the DICT said the electronic LGU (eLGU) program of the government has so far digitized 838 LGUs out of the 1,642 in total. At present, the Philippines consists of 149 cities and 1,493 municipalities.
The eLGU system is an initiative of the DICT, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) under the Electronic Business One-Stop Shop (EBOSS) program, which aims to promote ease of doing business and ensure a more efficient, faster service delivery, and transparency in the country.
The platform offers services including business permit licensing, barangay clearance, building permits, working permits, community tax certificates, occupational and health certificates, and local civil registry needs, among others.
“This (eLGU program) will significantly assist citizens by streamlining various government processes and eliminating the bureaucratic hurdles associated with traditional methods,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said.
Just recently, the Philippines’ ranking in the United Nation’s E-Participation Index (EPI) improved by 31 spots to rank 49 from the 80th spot a year prior.
The EPI intends to measure how well countries connect to their citizens through online tools. It is also mirrored in the UN's 2024 E-Government Development Index (EGDI), where the country bested 16 other countries at rank 73 from the 89th spot in 2022.
The Philippines achieved an EGDI score of 0.7621, also surpassing the global average of 0.6382.
The EGDI measures online service provision, telecommunication connectivity, and human capacity.