TUBIGON.- Mayor William Richard Jao entered into a Memorandum of Agreement between the Local Government Unit and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines for the implementation of E-Governance for the Municipal Development Program in the municipality last June 10 at Regalia Tower Hotel Suites, Quezon City, The LMP in partnership with the Mayor’s Development Center, Inc. (MDC), Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), eGov4MD Inc., National Computer Center of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (NCC-CICT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), introduced “E-Governance for Municipal Development” (eGov4MD) and the NCC-developed, open source-based electronic business permit and licensing system (eBPLS) to the different municipalities in the country. This eGovernance, according to the United Nations Development Programme: “is a form of public administration making use of public technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, business partners and employees. It aims to help strengthen government’s drive toward effective governance and increased transparency to better manage a country’s social and economic resources for development. “

The eBPLS on the other hand, is “an automation tool that will further streamline [the] issuance of business permit,” according to LMP. Moreover, NCC has also developed “eLGU” which entails a software package consisting of open source-based Real Property Tax System, Business Permit and License System and Treasury Operations Management System. According to a progress report released by CESO through its eGovernance Project Officer Robert Sagun, “There is a need for reform and support in terms of enabling local government units (LGUs) in generating income from local sources such as business and real property taxes.” CESO added that by doing so, the LGU would improve its financial management information systems as well as building the technical capacities of their treasury staff. LGU-Tubigon expressed their support in the eGov4MD particularly the eBPLS project through a comprehensive deliberation by the Sangguniang Bayan and its legislative department stated in a resolution released last February 2011. It stated that LGU-Tubigon “will take the opportunity to avail the programs of the eLBPS from the LMP in order to upgrade the revenue collection of LGU-Tubigon thru electronic method.”

Mayor Jao then expressed his delight, saying that in the Province of Bohol, Tubigon is fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the lucky few who were given the opportunity to apply the program to their municipalities, since there are conditions to be considered before a municipality can be allowed to utilize the program. And after successfully complying with the necessary requirements, Tubigon is the only town in Bohol accepted to participate in the eGov4MD program. Mayor Jao also stated that by adopting this program, the pace of the processing of licences and revenues in the municipality will improve, added that the transparency that a government should provide to its people will be enhanced, hence a development in local governance. He added that it would benefit the people as well as the local government in providing a systematic, less-hassle and an efficient means of paying taxes, licenses and permits benefiting both the people and the LGU. With the advent of this kind of technology, the Municipality is hopeful that this program will surely improve the implementation of revenue powers of LGU-Tubigon, who is living up to its adage: Abante Tubigon!