ILOILO CITY – Small entrepreneurs here have express increase level of satisfaction due to efficient and simpler business permit and licensing system (BPLS) implemented by the city government since early 2008 at the city hall offices located at a shopping mall.

City mayor Jerry P. Treñas admitted that he is eyeing a satellite office for the city treasurer and assessor once construction of the new city hall is completed by 2010 at the old site fronting Plaza Libertad.

As of the present, the bulk of cityhall offices that include the city mayor’s office, city treasurer, assessor and permits and licensing are concentrated at the Robinsons Place Iloilo.

A survey conducted by the German Technical cooperation (GTZ) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last year showed that after implementing some reforms at streamlining the functions of the business permit and licensing division, offices of the treasurer and assessor, the customers and taxpaying public who transacted business at these offices showed satisfaction at the less tiring and less costly on their part. Read more »

FLOOD prone areas in Iloilo province are better prepared for flashfloods and other ecological disaster using the early warning and monitoring system (EWMS) granted by the Korean government to the Iloilo provincial government.

The EWS was inaugurated Friday morning at the Iloilo provincial capitol. Leading the dignitaries are Korean Ambassador Choi Joong-Kyung, Korean International Agency (KOICA) Resident Representative Kim In, Department of Science and Technology Sec. Estrella F. Alabastro and Governor Niel Tupas Sr.
Iloilo Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) deputized coordinator Jerry Bionat said the EWMS is one of the only three projects established in the country. The other systems are in Baler, Quezon which was inaugurated February 27, 2009 and in Agus Lake Lanao Watershed. Read more »

ILOILO CITY – The Australian ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Rod Smith will personally lead in the turn-over ceremonies on Thursday, April 16, 2009 of 10 brand-new computers to students of the Jaro National High School in Jaro district as a show of concern of the Australian people to victims of super typhoon Frank last June that devastated the city and the school in particular.

City mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the Aussie ambassador made the commitment of assistance to the city government after being informed of the gargantuan devastation left by the typhoon in public infrastructures such as schools, health centers, hospitals, residences, livelihood opportunities and access to social services.

Treñas said the Australian embassy based in Metro Manila had contacted his office for the computer donation as the Australians little help to alleviate the plight of public high school students severely affected by the typhoon. Read more »

Iloilo City (1 March) — The MIGEDC-JICA Technical Working Group (TWG) will undergo another training to hone their know-how on Transport and Traffic on March 3-4 at the UPV Training Center here.

A press release from the MIGEDC-JICA Project Team said the training will focus on the topics of Road Pricing, Environmental and Social Costs, Public Transport Policy Trends and Traffic Safety, intended to familiarize the transport sector group with the evolving issues and problems of traffic in the MIGEDC.

The training will be conducted by a team of experts from the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) of U.P. Diliman, which is a recognized authority on national transport and traffic concerns operating with national government agencies. Read more »

ILOILO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be in Iloilo this morning, March 3, 2009 to lead the inauguration of another TeleTech regional site in this southern city.

The President will be accompanied by Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque and Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas Chua of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and will be met by TeleTech officials headed by Maulik Parekh, executive vice president for Asia. Read more »

Public Safety and Security

• Information Dissemination

A.I Fire Prevention Month Celebration
A.2 National Disaster Consciousness Month Celebration
A.3 Crime Prevention Week Celebration (preparation of flyers, posters, etc.)

• Improve Technical Capabilities

B. Services improvement
B.1 Radio communications training attended by committee member agency
B.2 Conduct seminar on Writ of Amparo

• Improve community participation

C.1 Best practices/models in Public Safety and Security (Search for the Best of the year

• Improve Coordination and Networking

D. Coordination and Administration
D.1 Quarterly meetings

Environmental Management Committee

• Creation of LGU’s Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO)

Meetings
Trainings/capacity-building for MENRO-designates
Establishment of MENRO as permanent positions Read more »

Technology does ‘wonders’ for City Hall

ILOILO City’s P12-million computerization project is finally giving the City Government dividends, particularly in its effort to validate businesses and real properties here.

Half of the P12-million budget came from the World Bank in the form of a grant. The other half is in the form of a loan which will be shard equally by the City Government and the Department of Finance (DOF).

With the wonders of computer technology, which has been in use for many years in Cebu and other highly-urbanized cities in the country, the City Government was able to validate at least 20,000 businesses and 145,000 real properties in just five months.

HIGH TECH - Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Maryse Gautier (4th from left) of World Bank inspect the LOGOFIND project, which computerizes business and real estate tax information of the Iloilo City government. (Photo by Tara Yap)

By Jeehan V. Fernandez
The Daily Guardian

Now, regardless of where you are — whether in your office, working from home, or traveling — You can connect with your coworkers instantly by starting a voicechat, or better yet, a videochat. By video chatting, you can hear and see each other in real time. And since voice and videochat is integrated with the MIGEDC web-based email system interface, you can have a productive conversation with colleagues without ever leaving your browser.

If you have a webcam and a microphone, you can now videochat directly from MIGEDC webmail by installing this plugin.

The plugin works in all major browsers (latest version of Firefox and Internet Explorer) and installs on all of them automatically. After you’ve installed it, start a chat with someone and enable the new functionality from the Options menu at the bottom of the chat window. Read more »

Urban Partnerships Program-Philippines (UPP-Philippines) Leadership Series.

Download UPPP’s Leadership Series, a learning tool for policy makers to promote understanding of pressing urban issues and encourage policy actions for urban sustainability.

Leadership Series No. 10: Bioregional planning
Leadership Series No. 9: Furnishing the Streets
Leadership Series No. 8: When Public Becomes Private
Leadership Series No. 7: Spokes in the City
Leadership Series No. 6: Urban Waterfronts: The Wave of the Future
Leadership Series No. 5: Breaking Free From the Concrete Prison
Leadership Series No. 4: Walking into a Greener Future
Leadership Series No. 3: The Gospel of Bioregionalism
Leadership Series No. 2: The Evolution of the Jeepney and Transit in Metro Iloilo
Leadership Series No. 1: The New Public Realm and the Sustainable City

Read more »

Presentation by Dr. Gary Davidson and Beate Bowron (Canadian Urban Institute) consultants.

CUI Urban and Regional Planning Program
Iloilo, September 7 – 16, 2008

Beate Bowron, FCIP, RPP, former Director of
Community Planning, City of Toronto

Dr. Gary Davidson, FCIP, RPP, former Director of
Planning and Development, County of Huron

Click link below to download
MIGEDC Focus For Action: Presentation by Gary and Beate (PDF)