Safety is the main concern in this pandemic and this is what the City Government has in mind when it launched online initiatives to reinforce safety protocols.
The City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) announced on September 22,2021, that payments for water, business and real property taxes can now be coursed through GCash.
The new payment method is aimed to limit in-person transactions without depriving the much needed revenues for the City Government.
City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II said that transactions in the City Government should not be halted just because of the pandemic.
“We are continuously thinking of ways to strike a compromise between safety and revving up the local economy. Our driving force is to revive the local economy by encouraging Tagbilaranons to engage in local transactions and for the constituents to do that, they have to be assured of safety, vis-à-vis the containment of the virus,” Mayor Yap said.
Various initiatives were launched to limit in-person transactions.
The City Accounting Office (CAccO) launched the Tracking Assistant Gateway (TAG). TAG is a software application that enables all the offices in the City Hall to track the progress of their claims online.
There is no need to go to the CAccO and discuss the status of the claims since all the details are already posted in the system.
The Information Technology (IT) Department, the one which made the program, installed TAG in all the offices in the City Hall. The system in an office is assigned to a focal person who is responsible to manage the said program.
The TAG installed in a certain office cannot be accessed by other offices. It is exclusive to a particular office and password-protected.
The General Services Office (GSO) also followed suit and launched the e-procurement system.
It is a 24/7 system that automates the preparation of the Purchase Request (PRs) for goods and it allows easy tracking of the progress of the PRs.
All PRs will be filed and created online by the designated Supply Officer of the different departments and offices.
The offices through their Supply Officer can follow-up the status of their PRs online.
The PRs will then be reviewed, printed and processed by the CGSO.
Then, in June 2020, the IT Department of the City Government was also tasked to come up with a contactless platform for the application of business permits. The IT Department
established a link in the website where the e-permitting platform was placed.
The clients need not to go to the City Hall to apply or renew their business permits.
First step is to click the link of the e-BPLO in the official website of the City Government of Tagbilaran and fill-out the online form.
The Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) will then evaluate, validate, and assess the application.
Notifications will then be sent through email or text message whether the application has deficiencies or is approved.
For approved applications, a billing or statement of taxes, fees and charges is sent to the registered email address and mobile number of the applicant.
The billed amount must be settled through any of the following online payment channels including www.tagbilaran.gov.ph or PayMaya.
Once the application and payment has been completed, an email and text message will be sent indicating the pick-up date of the business permit.
Alongside the establishment of the e-permitting system portal was the coordination with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Land Bank of the Philippines, and GCash to further facilitate the online payments.