This is Part 3 of a four part series. See Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4 here.
Over 208 government officials and senior technology executives from across the Philippine government, academic institutions and healthcare organisations convened at the 3rd Philippine OpenGov Leadership Forum 2019 on 25 April 2019 at the New World Makati Hotel.
Held in conjunction with the Philippine OpenGov Leadership Forum, the OpenGov Recognition of Excellence (RoE) 2019 recognised and celebrated a total of 13 government agencies, academic institutions, organisations and a city from the Philippines for striving towards excellence in ICT strategies, policies and initiatives.
The annual OpenGov Recognition of Excellence (RoE) aims to set new benchmarks for government ICT innovation in the ASEAN and ANZ regions.
The Philippines has embarked on an exciting digital transformation journey, seeking to improve the lives of citizens through the use of digital technology. This year’s OpenGov Recognition of Excellence award winners are:
Department of Science and Technology
OpenGov is recognising the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for the launch of SETUP 2.0.
The SETUP 2.0 programme, which stands for Small Enterprise Technology and Upgrading Program, aims to encourage entrepreneurs to become more productive and competitive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
It is a follow through of the SETUP program, which was launched 15 years ago. SETUP has benefited about 20,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country since its institutionalisation.
Moreover, it has been proven to improve the production volume and profit of these businesses by up to 30%.
SETUP 2.0 features services and methods that would make SMEs become SMARTER or Socially-responsive, Market-oriented, Agile, Resource-efficient, Technology-intensive, Environment-friendly, and Resilient to calamities.
This addresses not only the economic concerns of the SMEs but also equips them so that they can also be resilient to disasters and hazards in the environment.
Under this program, the SMEs will be given one year to implement their project with zero interest payable in three to five years.
Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry
OpenGov is conferring the award to DOST and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the implementation of the OneSTore.ph platform in 2018.
OneSTore.ph is an e-commerce web application that provides customers with an effortless shopping experience. It also provides retailers with a simple and direct access to the largest customer base in the Philippines.
This programme offers a platform that will aid Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the Philippines in expanding their market reach online.
In an agreement regarding OneSTore.ph, DTI will promote the platform to MSMEs, through its Negosyo Centres, as a platform where they can market their products online.
The Negosyo Centres promote ease of doing business and facilitate access to services for MSMEs within their jurisdiction.
The scope of their activities encompasses business registry assistance; advisory services; providing information as required by MSMEs; and monitoring and evaluation of business processes.
DOST will develop and maintain OneSTore.ph where its accredited Regional Hubs and MSMEs may sell products and services to its client.
They will also engage with payment and logistics partners and provide better OneSTore.ph services to its accredited Regional Hubs, MSMEs, and its partner agencies.
Department of Science and Technology, University of the Philippines
OpenGov is recognising the DOST and the University of the Philippines (UP) for the Diwata-2 project.
Diwata-2 is the second microsatellite built and designed by Filipinos, under the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-Microsat) Program.
The PHL-Microsat was initiated by DOST in cooperation with UP. They have also collaborated with Japanese universities for the project.
This programme is a part of the project by Hokkaido and Tohoku Universities, which aims to launch 50 microsatellites into space by 2050.
Within this project, the Philippine government was able to commission two satellites.
A more technologically advanced sibling of the ground-breaking Diwata-1 microsatellite, Diwata-2 will orbit at a higher altitude of approximately 620km.
It features an increased lifespan and a sun-synchronous orbit that makes repeated environmental monitoring of specific places possible.
Like its predecessor, Diwata-2 carries a Wide Field Camera (WFC), Middle Field Camera (MFC), High Precision Telescope (HPT), and Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) with Liquid Crystal Tunable Filter (LCTF).
But unlike Diwata-1, it features the deployable solar panels for increased power generation output and an enhanced resolution camera (ERC).
Diwata-2 has a plethora of sensors, called Sun Aspect Sensors (SAS), lining its body. These sensors serve two purposes.
One is to indicate location with respect to the sun. The sensor indicates which side faces the sun when struck directly by its light.
Second is the ability to calculate Diwata-2’s angle with respect to the sun, using light intensity. When it shines directly on the sensor, then that is typically when it is most intense.
Both Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 are Earth-observing microsatellites capable of capturing images of Earth for environmental assessment.
