Angeles City—Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. is pushing Angeles City to be the country’s next Smart City.
This was announced by IC Calaguas, the long-time political officer of the Lazatin family and now the chief adviser and tactician of the city mayor.
She explained the free internet for all Angeles residents would help facilitate government linkages throughout the city.
Transactions with the city government will be online, she added.
“In the last quarter this year, Mayor Lazatin will be ordering the deployment of payment kiosks in all barangays for business tax, real property tax and even for simple traffic violations. Kiosks will also be placed in convenient stores,” Calaguas said.
Lazatin earlier annouced that by October the city would be testing cashless payment in public markets and public transportation.
“We will pilot test the cashless payment in selected public transports and public markets, and once the system has been perfected, it will be ‘roll out’ throughout the city,” Calaguas said.
Lazatin will also fund the second phase expansion of the Angeles City Emergency Disaster Command Center to monitor traffic and for peace and order
The full computerization of the city government revenue offices was also certified as ISO 9001:2000 in 2002, the first LGU outside Metro Manila to receive the certificatiion.
Calaguas was also the head of the Angeles City Information Communication Technology Division in 2001 during the time of the late city mayor Carmelo Lazatin, the incumbent mayor’s father.