For years, Filipinos have struggled with going to government buildings across the metro to process their requests or legal documents, which consumes their time, energy, and resources. But since society transitioned into the digital age, government agencies extended their services to be available online, allowing more Filipinos to access their benefits.
Among the cities in the country, Quezon City is a pioneer in streamlining all its services to function online and offline.
With Mayor Joy Belmonte at the helm since 2019, Quezon City underwent significant changes in its functions and services to become more efficient and convenient for QCitizens.
“Our role, or rather our responsibility, is to take a leadership role in good governance, innovation, and digital transformation because whether we like it or not, cities, citizens, and the international community look at what we’re doing,” said Michael Victor Alimurung, City Administrator of Quezon City, during the Innovation Summit 2023 hosted by KPMG at Fairmont Hotel last July 20, Thursday.
He shared that under Belmonte’s leadership, the Quezon City government embraced digital transformation to meet the demands of the modern world through the mayor’s 14-point agenda.
Pivotal points of the agenda include delivering responsive, efficient, and cost-effective social services, empowering citizens of every gender and social class, making Quezon City the preferred destination for business, being a model of good governance, and listening to the demands of QCitizens.
“Since we started, Quezon City has adopted various innovative technological approaches to improve the way we deliver government services to QCitizens. Technology and innovation have become an integral part of how we operate. At the same time, we understand that technology and innovation are only a tool to create a positive change in the lives of QCitizens,” Alimuring said.
One of the notable services from the Quezon City government is the QC eServices, a web-based and cloud-based unified platform accessible through the city’s website (www.qceservices.quezoncity.gov.ph).
It gathers all of the city’s online services and programs into a single portal that’s free and easily accessible to the public through their desktop or mobile browsers using a single account. So whether they’re accessing the platform from the comforts of their homes or through kiosks at city hall or across the city, they can access the QC eServices easily.
The QC eServices platform currently has 2,372,724 validated accounts as of July 19, 2023. They can access over 21 online services from the technology, including legal applications, government financial assistance, health services, and more.
Alimurung also stressed that the digital innovation from the Quezon City government uses the industry’s leading web application firewalls (WAF), encrypts data, and operates on a separate server to ensure the safety and security of all its users.
Other digitized processes from Quezon City include community WiFi, a helpline 122 and ticketing system, an automated document delivery system (ADDS), an asset management system, and tricycle registration and inspection systems, to name a few.
Belmonte and the Quezon City government welcome technology and innovation as tools with open arms because they believe “if it can be made to work here, it can be made to work anywhere in the Philippines.”