Photo by Randy Javier Fadrigo

Iloilo City got the nod of two giant telecom firms for free Wi-Fi Internet in public offices, parks, plazas and streets.

Mayor Jerry P. Treñas thanked the City Council for authorizing him to sign the memorandum of agreements (MOAs) with telco giants Smart Telecommunications and Globe for the provision of Wi-Fi connection.

The MOA to be signed by the mayor and telecom representatives will then be approved and confirmed by the City Council.

Wi-Fi will be available at City Hall, district plazas, Esplanade, and Diversion Road, Mandurriao.

“The partnerships are a big help for us in our quest to become a Smart City. I am very excited with this as we will be giving the public more access to avail of services and for us to better serve them,” Treñas stressed.

The City Hall has set up a digital information kiosk at the ground floor to give clients a quick guide and directory of departments and offices and instructions on doing transactions.

The user-friendly touch-screen facility is based on city’s Citizens Charter detailing process flow and fees.

City Hall services will also be going mobile for fast and easy transactions.

This, after Smart has offered to establish processing of transactions using technology through cellular phones.

A so-called Smart City is an urban area that uses Internet to collect data and then use these to manage assets and resources efficiently.

The Smart City concept integrates Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and devices to optimize the efficiency of operations and services, and connect to citizens.

Information Systems Office (ISO) head Francis T. Cruz said mobile app offers windows where the City Hall can track daily records and improvements.

“One advantage is that you can do transactions on the go, not only in front of computers. Secondly, taxpayers can check their previous payments and tax dues. The City Government can also see the collections for the day,” Cruz said.

“We are trying to fast-track the project after the papers are signed and approved,” he added.Iloilo City PIO