Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte highlighted the various benefits Dabawenyos enjoy due to the digitalization that pushed for ease of doing business in his State of the City Address on August 6, 2024, at Rizal Park.
The mayor said that in compliance with the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the local government has streamlined systems and introduced user-friendly procedures for easier access to government services.
“Last May, the City Government was awarded with the Certificate of Commendation by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) for the implementation of a fully-automated electronic Business One Stop Shop (e-BOSS) system, which simplifies business permit applications, making it easier for people to do business in the city,” he said, adding that manual application is still available at the Business Bureau.
He also added that the Permits and Licenses Division continues to provide full online services, with a total of 50,969 establishments that applied for and renewed their business permits from July 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024.
“This is higher by 1,469 applications for the same period last year, indicating that more people are now confident in both the business environment and in their capacity to run a business venture,” he said.
Aside from permits and licenses, the mayor also highlighted the accomplishment in the areas of building permit applications online.
“With the launch of the Online Building-Related Permit System (OBPS) in 2023, and the dedicated efforts of the personnel of the Office of the City Building Official, Annual Inspection Fee collection increased more than twice the previous year’s collection,” he said.
In 2022, the figure was only Php 6,615,290.40 and increased to Php17,090,425.50 for 2023.
The mayor also highlighted the Online Professional Tax Receipts where licensed professionals were able to secure their PTRs online. Launched in January of this year through the efforts of the City Treasurer’s Office and the City Information Technology Center, the system allows all Supreme Court or Professional Regulation Commission licensed professionals to apply for their PTRs without leaving their homes or offices. Payments can be made over the counter or through the online portals linked to the site.
He also mentioned the launch only a few weeks ago of a new document-tracking system for procurement-related transactions, which features real-time online monitoring, mobile phone accessibility, and integration with the Bids and Awards process for a more seamless monitoring and faster turnaround time of procurement activities within the city government.
“Ang gihimo man gud nato kaning CITC nato, information and technology arm sa city hall, gibutngan gyud nato, gi-empower nato aron kining mga
systema–mga bag-o gi-introduce nato sa digitalization dili na kinahanglan mangita pa sa gawas. Ang mga mismo nga taga Davao gi-hire nako para sila muhimo. Anyway naa man diri ang kapitan karon kun if ever kailangan ninyog tabang with digitalization then let us know because sa inyong barangay pwede pud nato na ibutang if there is a need for it, so andam ang atong CITC para ana (What we did is that our CITC, the information and technology arm of the city hall, we empowered them so that all the new systems we introduce, we no longer need to look outside. We hired Dabawenyos to create these systems. Anyway, there are barangay captains here so if ever you need help with the digitalization let us know because we can also place these systems in your barangays if there is a need for it, the CITC is ready for that),” the mayor said. CIO
