The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance creating the Barangay Information Management System (BIMS) in all barangays in the city and for other purposes.
City legislators stated that the measure, through the use of the internet and the web, seeks to professionalize the collection, handling, storage and processing the primary information in the barangays that form part of the basic resources in barangay or city government policy formulation, planning and program implementation in the general issuance of certificates, clearances as well as generation of reports and other documents by the barangay in particular.
Under the proposed ordinance, all barangays shall create and maintain an updated database of all transactions in their areas of jurisdiction, including that which is provided by Resolution No. 267, series of 2020.
The council stipulated that the concerned barangay council shall create a regular barangay council committee to look into the implementation of information technology programs, projects, activities and other related concerns as its primary function or may include such tasks to any existing and appropriate committee.
On the other hand, the local government, through the Special Services Division (SSD) and the Management Information and Technology Division (MITD), shall provide the required technical assistance to the various barangays in the setting up, operation and maintenance of the BIMS which shall form part of the network of the city’s management information system.
According to the council, capacity trainings and information and communication technology skills updating shall be conducted at least two times in a year with a total training hours of not less than 24 hours where the same shall be a collaboration among the City Mayor’s Office, the Liga ng mga Barangay–Baguio chapter and the City Budget Office, with the training funds coming from the annual appropriations of the SSD which shall be the lead office while the information capacity skill updating training shall be conducted by the city’s MITD.
The council claimed that to guide the personnel from the barangays, the implementation of the measure shall be in phases as may be determined by the MITD to ensure the concerned personnel are trained and equipped for the said task.
The council required the barangays to include in their annual budget the procurement of the appropriate hardware while the city government will provide the necessary software for the realization of the program and that city offices concerned in the prescribed intervention activities shall incorporate in their annual department budgets the funds required for the implementation of the BIMS.
Upon approval of the ordinance, the City Mayor, through the SSD within 60 days, shall coordinate with the City Budget Office, the City Treasurer’s Office, the City Planning and Development Office, the Liga ng mga Barangay–Baguio chapter and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, to craft the implementing rules and regulations of the measure where the same shall be in consonance to the Smart City program of the city. By Dexter A. See
