Single citizen's helpline to link gov't agencies
Interconnected helplines of all government offices may be the wave of the future.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) gathered last March 11 government officials, including information technology (IT) managers and public information officers, for a forum on interconnecting current and future public assistance systems to improve the delivery of services to the public and to cut red tape.
The move is in line with the implementation of Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, which directs agencies to review and improve frontline service delivery.
CSC Chair Ricardo L. Saludo gave a brief message on the government's Anti-Red Tape Campaign, after which CICT Commissioner Tim de Rivera explained the process of establishing and interconnecting citizen's helplines via IT.
A hands-on simulation was conducted to give the audience a better understanding on how the government-wide Citizen's Helpline would work.
Undersecretary Celia Yangco of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Assistant Commissioner Lilia Guillermo of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Mayor Freddie Tinga of Taguig City presented their respective agencies' IT programs and facilities, proving that efficient and effective public service delivery can be achieved with the help of available technology.