Manila LGU seek renovation vs outdated navigation systems 

THE MANILA local government unit (LGU) officers lamented the necessity for updated navigation systems within the building to facilitate easier and more efficient client transactions.  

Chief Security Officer Ronaldo Santiago told the Manila Forefront that his office had requested updated directories and the creation of maps for easier access and smoother flow of transactions.  

“Although not updated, directories can be observed particularly in the prosecutor's office and trial courts, while signages were placed in every office and department to help MCH clients easily locate the offices they were looking for,” Santiago said. 

Personnel are stationed at the four entrance and exit points of the MCH building, namely, the LRT, Taft, tourism, and freedom gates to assist clients in navigating the premises and accessing their civic requirements without confusion.  

In the same interview, Michael Ramos, an engineer and MCH’s building administrator, echoed that the navigation system of the MCH is not updated. However, according to him, there were talks of utilizing a computer-aided approach similar to the ones used in supermalls. 

He said that the current tracking system in place remains simple and direct as the city hall is only a five-story building.  

“Maps are good as a navigation system. The building uses straightforward directional signages floor by floor instead of maps as it is concise and direct. This is sufficient if every office has proper identification signages,” Ramos added.  

MCH offers essential services catering to diverse needs, including health services, civil registry assistance, social welfare support, services for senior citizens, traffic management, disaster risk management, public employment services, engineering and public works assistance, park maintenance, environmental, and waste management. 

Additionally, they provide transactional services like facilitating business permits, ensuring safety seal certification, and addressing real property tax delinquencies. 

But it’s not just the navigation systems that need updating; the lengthy and time-consuming process of paper processing also requires improvement, Manileños said.  

Woes encountered 

The process of land title registration in the MCH requires patience and time, said Sampaloc resident Mindy Mae Dela Cruz.  

She had to take three days off from work as a supermarket cashier as the process ate a minimum of six hours of her day due to the necessity of building and office-hopping to get the requirements needed for the registration. 

Confusion was another factor in the time-consuming process, she said. The names of the offices were similar, yet their functions were different. For example, there were many offices dedicated to tax. 

“Minsan kahit magtanong ka sa mga department dito, ‘yung ibang nagtatrabaho dito, ‘di pa rin nila kabisado, sasabihin nila na ‘ay, dito ata ‘yon, ‘di ko kasi alam’,” Dela Cruz shared. 

Although not all employees know the functions and locations of offices inside MCH, the chief security officer reminded that there are designated personnel from the city hall security force (CSF) available to assist, such as the information desk “strategically posted at MCH LRT wing.” 

“Newly employed CSF personnel were briefed and required to know every department’s location as well as their functions,” Santiago said. 

Offices also give fliers and primers when necessary or mandated to. Information dissemination through social media and websites are among the other mechanisms utilized by MCH offices.  

True to the abovementioned, a paper containing instructions was available at the civil registry office to help clients complete their transactions easily.  

In his experience, factory worker Craig Isidro Bantog said that there was no confusion when he started the process of fixing his parent’s middle name at the said office due to the leaflet given to him. 

However, this was not the case for Mylene Quiambao, who was applying for funeral assistance from the Manila Department of Social Welfare. 

Due to a missing requirement, she needed to travel back to the funeral parlor hired for her father’s burial in Pampanga, approximately two hours away from Manila. 

Slashing red tape  

In an interview with the Manila Forefront, Asst. Professor Froilan Calilung of the University of Santo Tomas Department of Political Science said that lengthier and more difficult civic processes make people more susceptible to red tape. 

“The reason why you go through this red tape process or these bribery attempts, or corruption activities is because you want to save time,” Calilung explained. 

As a solution, Calilung presented the need to streamline processes to make it more efficient and convenient for citizens. 

He called this action of streamlining Government Process Reengineering (GPR), which is a concept in the study of public administration derived from business mechanisms.  

In the Philippines, it is in the form of technological innovation and laws such as the Anti-Red Tape Act and Ease of Doing Business Law. 

Calilung said, “When the process becomes easier, faster, and swifter, it lessens the propensity for corruption and for bribery to come in.” --Janica Kate J. Buan and Maujerie Ann A. Miranda