The Manila city government’s Go Manila mobile and desktop application has been recognized for being among the “Best in Customer Empowerment” and “Best in Government Internal Processes” during the Digital Governance Awards (DGA) 2020.
The DGA 2020 is organized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.
The awards were bestowed on Friday, December 11, in recognition of the city’s efforts to minimize human interaction in both medical and government services using the Go Manila app.
Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso also announced on Sunday that the city-run Sta. Ana Hospital headed by its director Dr. Grace Padilla, was recognized as one of the top awardees of the “Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan” in line with the consistent, efficient medical services being given by its officers, doctors, and frontline staff amid the pandemic.
Domagoso expressed gratitude to Padilla and all the medical frontliners for earning the recognition for the hospital in the sixth district of Manila.
He also thanked the award-giving body composed of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), together with the Association of Allied Health Organizations of the Nation (AAHON) and the Health Educationalist, Advocates and Leaders Philippines (HEAL Phils).
Domagoso said the Go Manila app was originally made to gradually prevent corruption inside the government offices.
“Thank you to our judges in your appreciation in our own little effort to really, one way or another, stop corruption with lesser human intervention in government services,” Domagoso said, as Manila placed second in both categories.
“It’s timely there will be a need for that to limit the surging of people in a particular place nowadays with regard to the pandemic,” the mayor added.
Among the transactions that can be made using the Go Manila app are payment of business and other type taxes, application of civil licenses and certifications such as birth and death certificates, application, and payment of cedula, and payment for ordinance violation receipt system.
Also included in the feature of the app is the application of occupational permit and health certification which also received another recognition from the award giving body.
“It’s a very unique city, challenging, and highly diverse and populated. It’s really quite a challenge that why when we assume office, I really want to data gather of all the things that we can do so we can, so we have a proper policy, program across the board,” Domagoso said.
“We’ll do better. We’ll improve. Umasa kayo pipilitin namin maging mabuti, mainam, at episyente (We can assure you we will try to be effective and efficient),” he added.
Apart from making it to the top ten awardees, the “Manila COVID Warriors” team of the Sta. Ana Hospital was also given due recognition and the said hospital even additionally received P50,000 cash prize.
Domagoso cited Padilla and all those involved in the operations of Sta. Ana Hospital for their dedication to duty and assured that the city government, specially he and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna Pangan, will continue providing full support to all the six hospitals being run by the city. The city hospitals fall under the supervision of Lacuna, herself a doctor.
This, he said, will be done through the continuous upgrade toward modern and high-quality medical equipment, facilities, and medicines while the health and safety of the patients and medical workers remain as the primary concern.
The Sta. Ana Hospital houses the Manila Infectious Disease Control Center (MIDCC) which was inaugurated by Moreno and Lacuna last year, way before the pandemic began. As such, it eventually served as Manila’s COVID-19 center and now even operates its own COVID test laboratories, apart from continuously providing free RT-PCR or swab tests.
The ‘Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan’ pays tribute to those in the frontlines of health care and case management of patients with COVID-19 in the Philippine Hospitals. It celebrates the individual and team stories of heroism and the hallmark service excellence offered by the individual frontliners during the times of the pandemic.
The award has two categories, namely the individual awards and team awards with nominees coming from all over the country clustered in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region, and across the COVID-19 admitting levels 1, 2, and 3 hospital categories.