DBM allots P4 B for digitization project

MANILA, Philippines - The government is planning to spend more than P4 billion within the next five years to support the initial phase of its digitization project, a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) official said.

DBM undersecretary and chief information officer Richard Moya said the project, dubbed Philippine Government Financial Transaction Digitization, is basically aimed at reducing if not eradicating corruption in government.

“The Philippine government has been leveraging technology and innovation as key enabler of its good governance agenda,” Moya said. “We are currently rolling out ICT (Information and Communications Technology) systems to transform Philippine Public Finance Management  (PFM) and the digitization of government financial transactions are part of the PFM reforms of the administration,” he added.

Moya said the initial digitization project would come in three parts: Government Human Resource Management Information System-National Payroll System (GHRIS-NPS); Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS); and Cashless Purchase Card (CPC).

About P2.2 billion would be spent for GHRIS over a five year period. This component of the project is an integrated IT solution that can collect and organize financial information in a central database to support budget preparation, management, execution and financial reporting.

According to Moya, this solution would provide reliable, automated and accurate information to support better financial planning, operation budgeting, cash programming and management, timely financial reports and effective enforcement of financial accountability rules and procedures.

GHRIS, which would need about P400 million in the first year, is expected to start in 2014.

About P350 million, on the other hand, will go to the Human Resources Management Information System project which is an Internet-based HRM software that will facilitate and automate all the HRM functions of the government.

GIFMIS, meanwhile, will also require P2.2 billion for the period of five years.  

Meanwhile, the CPC system is an online program that collates data from the transaction made on every Card and generates a comprehensive and customized report accessible to authorized government agency personnel in charge of accounting, reporting or auditing, from the convenience of a web browser.

Moya said instead of using cash for making value-value purchases, cashless purchase card can be used. Each card has customized restrictions as to the nature of items that it is allowed to purchase, how much and from which particular suppliers/vendors transactions may be made.