“Digital transformation is a long process that needs full support of the top management,” Engr. Francisco R. Barquilla, III, Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for Technical Operations of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) CALABARZON stated.
DOST-CALABARZON held a benchmarking activity for the local government unit (LGU) of Sto. Tomas, Batangas, to showcase its information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives and best practices, held at the DOST-CALABARZON Regional Office in Los Baños on March 9, 2023.
The event aims to orient the government officials and employees about the information systems of the agency, as part of the “Aksyon Bilis” program by Atty. Arth Jhun Aguilar Marasigan, City Mayor of Sto. Tomas, Batangas. In particular, the local authorities seek to improve their current human resource management system as Sto. Tomas now becomes a city consisting of more than 900 employees.
Driven by quality, productivity, and efficiency, ARD Barquilla spearheaded the discussion, starting with the issues and concerns that prompted the digital transformation of the institution. He said operations, human resource, management, regulations, and technology are some of the areas that experience challenges in government offices.
ARD Barquilla also presented the procedures in adopting an information system. This includes the technological requirements and recommendations that must be considered, such as ensuring full support from top management, establishing internal policies and guidelines, and providing appropriate ICT requirements.
DOST-CALABARZON started its journey towards digitalizing the business operations of the agency through creating, developing, and upgrading ICT infrastructure and facilities. Since 2011, the DOST IV-A Management Information Systems (MIS) unit has successfully implemented and adopted numerous innovative solutions that benefited the government and the community in terms of workforce competency, improved productivity, organizational transparency, work mobility, cost savings, among others.
MIS Head Ms. Bianca Josephine R. Pantoja conducted a live demonstration of the system, and answered inquiries regarding the functions and limitations of the systems. She highlighted the features of the Human Resources Management Information Systems (HRMIS) and the Tracking, Retrieval and Archiving of Communications for Efficiency (TRACE).
The main functions of HRMIS comprise the online filing of document requests and reservations, online biometrics for multiple offices, attendance statistics, and customizable signatories. On the other hand, TRACE allows different offices to digitize and track incoming and outgoing documents, delegate tasks to regional and provincial staff, and measure the unit and employee performance.
DOST-CALABARZON Regional Director Emelita P. Bagsit expressed her gratitude for the interest and effort of the LGU who traveled all the way from Batangas to initiate the benchmarking event.#
