philtechnology

Smart Communications Inc. is supporting Tingog 2015, a citizen feedback initiative to promote the effective delivery of basic services toward the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

An innovative SMS-based service, Tingog (the Bicolano and Cebuano word for “voice”) has been piloted in Tabaco, Albay. It seeks to provide ordinary citizens with a voice in the development process.

Tabaco residents can now report, monitor and provide feedback via SMS on the delivery of public health services, including the expanded program on immunization, maternal and reproductive health services, medical consultation, tuberculosis and nutrition.

To have their feedback heard, Tabaco residents may text TINGOG TAB NAME OF BARANGAY THEIR COMMENT and send to 2015. The citizen reports will be fielded to the concerned government agencies for urgent action.

P1.50 slash

To back the initiative, the telecom industry, including Smart, has agreed to slash the rate to P1 per SMS report sent to 2015, instead of the standard P2.50 per text. “Smart recognizes the role of wireless technology in addressing urgent gaps in basic social services by enabling communities. Tingog 2015 empowers citizens and encourages the government to provide efficient and quality social services,” said Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto.

It is no surprise that Albay’s Tabaco City is taking the lead on this initiative, Isberto said.

Albay was the pilot site for Smart’s Infoboard, a Web-based group broadcast service. The Albay Infoboard service allows local government units to send out vital information during calamities and emergencies. Using its feedback module, subscribers can also easily send requests for government assistance during disasters.

The Philippines, including fourth-class cities like Tabaco, is working to meet the 2015 target on MDGs on ending hunger.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on Tuesday, Nov. 27, announced that the bidding for the Land Transportation Office (LTO)-Road Transportation IT Infrastructure Project was successfully held with five out of the nine companies that purchased bid documents participating in the procurement process.

With an Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) of P8.2 billion, the bidding was won by Digitext Asia Corp., which put up a bid of P3.8 billion, the lowest bid among the five companies.

The bidding process pushed through after the Court of Appeals set aside the temporary restraining order issued by a Quezon City court against the project

Besides Digitext, the other bidders were Fritz and Macziol Asia, Eurolink Network, International Corp., Kaisa Consulting, and Ceragon Network.

Fritz and Macziol Asia submitted the second lowest bid at P5.3 billion, while Eurolink was third lowest with at P5.8 billion. The financial bids of Kaisa and Ceragon were not opened because of lack of technical requirements.

Kaisa was considered as non-complying for lack of schedule of requirements, while Ceragon also lacked schedule of requirement and certificate of reciprocity for a foreign consortium to qualify for the bid.

The four other companies which purchased bidding documents but did not participate in the bidding were Stradcom Corporation, which is the current system provider of the LTO IT system, Smartmatic, Oberthur Technologies, and Indra Sistemas.

DOTC/LTO is now set to go through the bid evaluation and post-qualification process including resolving the remaining issues with the non-complying bidders and other technical/administrative matters.

DOTC secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the new IT system will provide a viable and long-term solution to address the current system’s issues.

The previous LTO IT system, which has been running for 13 years, is no longer responsive to current land transportation regulation requirements, the agency said.

“Once the new LTO-IT system is in place, it will make it easier for authorities to recover stolen vehicles, trace smuggled vehicles, prevent double registration and monitor unregistered vehicles,” it said.

The DOTC said it once the automation systems of LTO and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are up and running, the government will be able to eliminate cases of PUVs securing an LTFRB franchise without LTO registration, as well as PUVs that are registered with the LTO but have no LTFRB franchise.