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E-governance at the local government level in the

Philippines: An assessment of city government websites
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Philippine Journal of Development
Number 60, Second Semester 2005, Volume XXXII, No. 2
E-governance at the Local Government

Level in the Philippines: An Assessment of
City Government Websites*
SHEILA V. SIAR**
ABSTRACT
The application of information and communication technology for
improving governance by enhancing government's role in service
delivery, public administration, and promotion of participatory de-
mocracy has been gaining momentum in many parts of the world. In
Philippine local government, this has been witnessed lately in the
significant rise in web presence of many cities, a development that
was facilitated by the passage of the Electronic Commerce Act in
2000 and the implementation of subsequent programs to support the
law's adoption by government. An assessment of the content of city
government websites indicated, however, the minimal adoption of e-
governance as well as the underutilization of websites as e-gover-
nance tools. Results also showed a clear absence of substantial
information and resources that could enhance the quality and speed
of service delivery, make government more transparent, facilitate
public participation in decisionmaking and, ultimately, bring govern-
ment, citizens, business, community organizations, and other groups
in society together in the governance process.
* A condensed version of the author's graduate thesis at the International Christian University in
Tokyo, Japan.
** Head, Publications and Circulation Division, Philippine Institute for Development Studies. She would
like to thank Ms. Ma. Teresa Camba, Field Operations Director-eLGU Project, for providing background
information on the project and for sharing her insights, and Ms. Cuchie Echeveria for her assistance
during the preliminary stage of her thesis. She is also grateful to Dr. Temario Rivera, Dr. Takashi Nishio,
Dr. Insung Jung, and an anonymous referee of the Journal for their helpful comments. The author may be
contacted at ssheila@mail.pids.gov.ph.
136 P HILIPPINE J OURNAL OF D EVELOPMENT 2005
INTRODUCTION
The move to reinvent government has spread incessantly over the last two
decades in many parts of the world. Governments in developed and develop-
ing countries alike have faced increasing pressures to improve their role in
service delivery and public administration. The reforms sought have not
only called for better public service through improved efficiency and effec-
tiveness, promotion of transparency, and increased responsiveness. They
have also highlighted the necessity to transform governance—to move away
from traditional, top-down approaches toward more decentralized and par-
ticipatory systems.
The roots of this government reinvention can be traced back to a number of
historical causes (Heeks 1999). One of them is the challenge confronting govern-
ments to keep or win back citizens’ trust and confidence in public institutions,
which has waned through the years with increasing reports of corruption. Another
is the influence of the neoliberal thinking that emphasizes the efficiency of markets
and the notion that the inefficiency of the public sector may be corrected by
making it as similar as possible to the private sector. Corollary to this is the inten-
sified pace of competition brought about by globalization, which could also ex-
plain why so many governments pursued many reform strategies so aggressively
at much the same time (Kettl 2002).
Common in the new public sector reforms is the use of information and
communication technology (ICT)1 in improving government procedures and pro-
cesses and the linkage between government, citizens, and other groups in gover-
nance to promote a more active and participatory political deliberation and
decisionmaking—a strategy known as e-governance. Using the definition of
Backus (2001), e-governance may be defined as the application of ICTs in refining
and strengthening the interaction between government and citizens (G2C) and
government, business and other groups (G2B), as well as improving internal gov-
ernment processes (G2G) to streamline and improve public administration. Al-
though e-governance and e-government sound almost congruent, Backus noted
that e-government is the utilization of ICTs by government to improve its inter-
nally focused operations (backoffice operations) and externally focused services
(frontline operations) in order to facilitate a speedy, transparent, accountable,
efficient, and effective process of performing its activities with the public, busi-
ness, and other sectors.
1
ICT refers to both computer and communication technology. The OECD defines it as "any equip-
ment or interconnected system (subsystem) of equipment that includes all forms of technology used
to create, store, manipulate, manage, move, display, switch, interchange, transmit, or receive
information in its various forms" (OECD Glossary of E-government Terms).
SIAR 137
Objectives of the Study
To what extent have local governments in the Philippines implemented e-gover-
nance using websites as their medium? This study attempted to answer this ques-
tion by looking into the resources and services that city governments provide to
citizens and other groups in society through their websites. The focus of this
research is the content of the websites, with cities as the representative local
government units (LGUs), as they could be considered more progressive than
municipalities and are thus better equipped to implement e-governance, which
undoubtedly entails cost.
The advent of the use of ICTs in Philippine government could be traced to
the creation of the National Computer Center (NCC) in 1971 and its subsequent
designation in 1978 as the key agency in government tasked to direct IT use for
national development and rationalize computerization in the country. This was
followed by the creation of other ICT agencies to further promote ICT use in
government as well as develop the country’s ICT industry. In June 2000, the most
important piece of legislation concerning ICT and e-governance was signed into
law—Republic Act 8792, otherwise known as the E-commerce Act—which directs
all agencies of government, including LGUs, to use electronic means in govern-
ment transactions. At the LGU level, the Act aims to get “ICTs into the blood-
stream of LGUs and enable better and faster delivery of government services to
citizens at lesser costs, and, at the same time, generate higher revenues for them-
selves.” A three-year project called Jumpstarting Electronic Governance in Lo-
cal Government Units or eLGU, a joint undertaking of the NCC, the Department of
Science and Technology, and the Information Technology E-commerce Council,
was also started in September 2002 to assist local governments in the smooth
transition to e-governance.
In one of the few studies on e-governance conducted at the local govern-
ment level in the Philippines, Ilago (2001) found that only 14 percent of provinces
(11 out of 79), 25 percent of cities (28 out of 113), and 1 percent of municipalities (14
out of 1,496) had an online presence. In terms of automation, however, some local
governments were found to have achieved progress in real property tax adminis-
tration, personnel management, administrative services, and even geographic in-
formation services.
By 2004, however, only three years after the implementation of the E-com-
merce Act, almost all local governments had an online presence.2 Specifically, 97.5
percent of provinces (77 out of 79), 99 percent of cities (114 out of 115), and 99.7
2
Report as of 30 June 2004 by the e-LGU project (sent to the author by Ms Cuchie Echeveria, eLGU
Project staff, in an email on 23 July 2004).
percent of municipalities (1,496 out of 1,500) had websites.3 A major part of this
development could be attributed to the enactment of the E-commerce Act and the
implementation of subsequent programs to support the law’s adoption by govern-
ment agencies and LGUs.
Significance of the study

The present research is akin to some extent to a previous study conducted by
Lallana et al. (2002) that categorized Philippine government websites based on the
“five stages of e-government” developed by the United Nations-American Soci-
ety for Public Administration (UN-ASPA): emerging, enhanced, interactive, trans-
actional, and fully integrated. The same indicators are, in fact, being used by the
eLGU Project in monitoring the progress of the websites every quarter. In general,
the stages present a straightforward benchmark that objectively assesses a
website’s degree of sophistication (UN-ASPA 2001). Each stage is marked by
certain features in which ascending to a higher stage means that the website has
not only become richer in content but has also advanced in terms of the degree of
interactivity between the government and its target audiences. But while the ASPA
uses indicators that look into the content of a website, its approach is very general
in that the indicators are not so concerned with the “actual” content or the exact
information found on the website such as community news or financial data like
the city budget.
Additionally, while Ilago’s 2001 study reviewed local government websites’
applications and content, it utilized Klaus Lenk’s broad classification of a website’s
resources, namely, information and referral, communication and feedback, docu-
ment download, and online transaction. This study, however, seeks to fill the gaps
in, and update, these past studies as well as those of the ongoing eLGU Project by
conducting a deeper and more comprehensive investigation of the content and
information contained in each city government website and ascertaining their
scope, usefulness, degree of transparency, and effectiveness in improving the
governance process. In terms of coverage, this study is also by far wider in scope
than Ilago’s, which analyzed only 35 websites.
METHODOLOGY
A total of 102 websites were found to be accessible at the time of the study in 2004.
Ten websites were inaccessible and two were under construction. Thus, this study
covered a total 102 cases (Table 1). The list of the cities and their web addresses is
given in Appendix 1.
3
As can be observed, the total figures according to province, city, and municipality of the NCC study
differ from those of Ilago's study. The discrepancy lies in the total number of cities and municipalities. The
numbers change whenever a new LGU is created or converted from one type to another.
SIAR 139
Table 1. Distribution of city government websites by region
Region City websites Accessible Inaccessible Under

construction
(Total) (No.) (No.) (No.)
Region 1 (Ilocos Region) 8 7 1

Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) 3 3 0
Region 3 (Central Luzon) 11 10 0 1
Region 4 (Southern Tagalog) 12 9 2 1
Region 5 (Bicol Region) 7 7 0
Region 6 (Western Visayas) 16 13 3
Region 7 (Central Visayas) 12 12 0
Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) 4 3 1
Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) 5 4 1
Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) 8 8 0
Region 11 (Davao Region) 5 5 0
Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) 5 5 0
Region 13 (CARAGA) 3 3 0
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao 1 1 0
(ARMM)
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) 1 0 1
National Capital Region or NCR (Metro Manila) 13 12 1
Total 114a 102 (89.47%) 10 (8.77%) 2 (1.75%)
a
The total number of Philippine city governments is 115 but one city (Palayan City) still had no
website at the time of the study.
Each website was visited and the information contained therein was re-
corded and categorized based on a scheme. The evaluation ran for nearly a month,
from September 1 to 25, 2004. Links in each website that could not be found were
not considered part of the content (e.g., a downloadable but inaccessible form
was not recorded). Relevant observations were also documented.
In developing a framework to measure the extent of e-governance imple-
mentation, the first step done was to operationalize the e-governance concept in
terms of its functions as a strategy for reinventing government and improving
the governance process. This was deemed important as the extent of e-gover-
nance implementation would be measured against the fulfillment of these func-
tions. Then, since the unit of analysis was the content of the websites, the
identification of relevant content supporting these e-governance functions came
next. Because e-governance has a specific purpose, it also requires a particular
content to meet that purpose. Thus it was assumed that specific types of infor-
mation and resources were essential for the advancement of the e-governance
agenda, and that what the city governments had achieved in implementing e-
governance could be measured against the presence of these types of informa-
tion and resources on their web pages. Table 2 presents the output of this
exercise—a scheme that matches the functions of e-governance with the types
of information and resources that are related to each function. These functions
were coined by the author based on existing literature and studies on e-gover-
nance. Box 1 summarizes the rationale for the types of information and resources
that correspond to each e-governance function.
Table 2. Functional categorization of information in the assessment of web content
Function Relevant information/resource
1- Promote citizens’ awareness and understand- ✦ Historical, cultural, physical, social, and eco-
ing of their community’s characteristics nomic information
✦ Political organization
✦ Community/city news
2 - Promote efficiency and effectiveness in the ✦ Government services and procedures

delivery of frontline services ✦ Downloadable forms
3 - Promote transparency and accountability of ✦ Government services and procedures

government in operations and services ✦ Programs and projects
✦ Procurement information and bid invitations·
✦ Ordinances
✦ Financial information
4 - Promote citizens’ awareness of the ✦ Information on local policymaking process

policymaking process and their participation in ✦ Ordinances
decisionmaking ✦ Online polls and surveys
5 - Promote linkage and interaction between gov- ✦ E-mail address, phone number of city officials;
ernment and citizens and other groups in society: feedback form; online polls/surveys (vertical
both vertical communication (between govern- communication)
ment and citizens and other groups in society) ✦ Discussion forum, chat, and other similar online
and horizontal communication (among the differ- facilities (horizontal communication)
ent groups in society)
6 - Promote linkage between government and busi- ✦ Procurement information and bid invitations
ness ✦ Economic and business profile
✦ Investment opportunities
✦ Tourism information
SIAR 141
Box 1. E-governance functions and the types of information and re-

sources that correspond to these functions
Function 1: Promote citizens’ awareness and understanding of their community’s characteris-

tics. This could be considered as the most basic among the different types of information that
the government should provide to their citizens and the usual starting point in building a local
government website. Hale et al. (1999) identified citizen apathy as one of the factors that
inhibits citizen participation in the political system. If the goal for a more active citizenry is to
be pursued, then citizens should be aware first and foremost of the most basic facts about their
community such as those pertaining to its physical, social, economic, and cultural characteris-
tics. This type of information could help promote among the citizens a sense of belonging and
pride in their locations’ historical, cultural, and physical attributes. It would also help to draw
the interest of external groups, which is beneficial to the community from a business and
tourism point of view . Bringing citizens the most basic information about who makes up their
government and how it works is also essential in raising their political awareness—considered
an important precondition for their active participation in the political process.
Function 2: Promote effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. The pursuit of improved
effectiveness and efficiency has been one of the core objectives of the new public sector
reforms (see Hood 1991; Pollitt and Bouckaert 2000; Kettl 2002). With e-governance, this
could be achieved by providing information about frontline services such as those for securing
civil registry documents, licenses and permits, or better yet, by giving the public a way by
which they can apply for these services with just a click of their mouse. At the very least, local
governments could post the procedures detailing the fees and requirements, the city hall
department assigned, and the turnaround time. Posting forms that clients could download
would eliminate the tediousness of physically going to the city hall to secure them. For the city
hall staff, these could help accelerate their response to client request.
Function 3: Promote transparency and accountability of government in operations and ser-
vices. By publishing information about their services and operations, programs/projects, local
ordinances passed, and most importantly, finances, local governments could be made more
accountable to their constituents. Furthermore, eliminating corruption in public procurement
can be achieved by promoting openness and transparency in the bidding process. Schware
(2000) noted that making government procedures more transparent reduces the ability of
brokers, middlemen, or public officials to extract payments in return for information or expe-
dited service. Additionally, the publication of employment notices does not only serve the
purpose of expanding the options available to citizens and assisting them to improve their
lives. Transparency in such kind of information can also help curb unjust practices of withhold-
ing or monopolizing information by government staff and officials for the benefit of their
preferred candidates.
Function 4: Promote citizens’ awareness of the policymaking process and their participation in
decisionmaking. The increased availability of political information using e-governance is envi-
sioned to improve participatory democracy. The publication of information on the local
policymaking process such as those that could be found in the minutes of meetings of the City
Council, the city’s legislative body, promotes accountability of elected officials to their elector-
ate, thus enhancing their representative role. For the citizens, information on both the process
and the outcome (resulting ordinances) may raise their appreciation of the policymaking
process, including the role of their elected officials, which may, in turn, increase their participa-
tion in the selection of local leaders. Consulting citizens through online polls and surveys
facilitates direct feedback that could raise the quality of decisionmaking and help promote
partnership.
Function 5: Promote linkage and interaction between government and citizens and other
groups in society. Communication technologies have opened up new opportunities for linkage
and interaction, which reinforce the thrust for an informed and participative public and bridge
information/data gaps and lapses that often lead to inappropriate planning and decisionmaking.
The study distinguished between two types of communication: vertical and horizontal.a Con-
tent that may enable vertical communication includes the contact information of city officials
(e-mail, phone number), feedback forms, and online polls/surveys. Horizontal or lateral com-
munication involves the different actors/groups in the governance process regardless of orga-
nizational hierarchy. Content that may promote horizontal communication includes discussion
forum, chat, and other similar online facilities.
Function 6: Promote linkage between government, business, nongovernment organizations,
and other groups in society. E-governance as a reform strategy for improving the governance
process could also improve the relationship between government and other groups in society,
particularly the business sector. The business focus is in recognition of two things: (1) its
importance as a service provider to government’s own needs and, at the same time, as a
partner of government in responding to the needs of the public through outsourcing, given
government’s limited capacity; and (2) the sector’s apparent role in economic development.
Tourism information also promotes linkage with business by providing a snapshot of the city’s
investment potentials, which private businesses need in their own decisionmaking processes.
Such information could also help boost the local economy by attracting local and foreign
tourists.
a
In an organizational setting, vertical communication involves communication between the
top executives and the lowest levels in the organization; horizontal or lateral communication
involves communication among persons who do not stand in hierarchical relation to one
another such as among departments, managers, or employees on the same organizational
level (Reece and Brandt 1970). In a local government, vertical communication could be
viewed as that which occurs between the city government and the citizens as well other
individuals and groups in the governance process (also regarded as the government’s other
clients) such as the business sector, community organizations, and civil society. This type of
communication involves both downward and upward communication flows.
The above scheme, however, overlooked other important measures that could
have otherwise made the assessment comprehensive. Admittedly, the scheme was
geared toward the availability and quantity of information. Quality indicators,
which are also very important, were excluded. Thus, to expand the assessment,
two important factors that contribute to the quality of the websites were added.
The first is usability. Even if a website contains the relevant content, it is
useless unless it is fully usable. Five indicators of usability from a 2003 study by
Rutgers University and the Global e-Policy e-Government Institute were adapted
in the present study: (1) consistent color and formatting, (2) consistent naviga-
tional bars and links, (3) adequate page length, (4) availability of a site map, and (5)
availability of a search tool.
The second is responsiveness. New communication technologies not only
promote greater interaction between the government and citizens; they also pro-
vide more opportunities for government to be more responsive to them. In this
study, responsiveness was equated with attentiveness and alertness in respond-
SIAR 143
ing to requests sent by e-mail. E-mail was chosen over phone or snail mail because
e-governance is associated with the more advanced and newer methods of com-
munication. West (2002) argued that while it is important to have e-mail addresses
available on government websites, they serve no purpose unless someone actu-
ally reads and responds to the messages he receives. Likewise, Caves (2004)
asserted that “having the ability to ask a simple question and to receive it or locate
an answer represents a basic and fundamental right in an open society.” The e-mail
address in a website is an important resource for promoting linkage and interaction
(Function 5 in the scheme). It will be useless in the pursuit of this governance
function unless the city government has read the e-mail and responded to it.
Using the methodology of West for measuring responsiveness, each city
government that provided a contact e-mail address in its website was sent a mes-
sage with a simple question, that is: “I am trying to find out when your city hall is
open. May I know your agency’s official hours?” If the website contained several
e-mail addresses, the message was sent to the mayor, being the city government’s
chief executive. If his or her e-mail address was not listed, the email was sent to any
of the other email addresses given on the website, including that of the second
highest-ranking official or some generic e-mail address (e.g.,
info@cityofbalanga.gov.ph). Bouncing inquiries were re-sent and forwarded to
another address indicated on the website to make sure that they were received.
Appendix 2 presents the schematic diagram of the overall framework used in
assessing the websites.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Content
Tables 3 to 8 present the specific information and resources contained in the 102
city government websites found to be accessible during the evaluation period.
Data collected were categorized based on their e-governance-related functions,
using the scheme discussed in the preceding section. (Detailed tables providing
frequency counts by region are available in the full report.)
Content that promotes citizens’ awareness and understanding of the city’s
characteristics could be divided into two: that which pertains to the city and that
which relates to the city government (Table 3). Regarding the first, most websites
contained information on the city’s history (84%), physical or natural resources,
tourist sites and similar attractions (66% each), and human resources (52%). Less
than a third contained information about infrastructure, local economy, and public
utilities. Community or city news and announcements—important to keep local
residents updated—were provided by only 22 percent of the websites.
As for information about the city government, the majority of the websites
contained the names of all elected officials (62%), with only a few having more
Table 3. Content that promotes citizens’ awareness and understanding of their city’s
physical, social, and political characteristics
Content No. of city websitesa
Information related to the city

History 86 (84.31)
Physical resources (location, topography, climate, land area, geography, 67 (65.69)
geology)
Cultural events and showcases:
✦ sites and attraction 67 (65.69)
✦ festivals 31 (30.39)
Human resources (population/demographic information, electorate) 53 (51.96)
Infrastructure profile (roads, bridges, communication) 29 (28.43)
Local economy (trade and commerce, agricultural and fisheries sector, financial 26 (25.49)
institutions, exports, business establishments/industries)
Public utilities (power supply, water supply, communications, mass media) 26 (25.49)
Land use and/or zoning plan 25 (24.51)
✦ land use map 3 (2.94)
Community or city news/announcements 22 (21.57)
Cityhood (how it became a city) 21 (20.59)
Selected socioeconomic indicators (poverty incidence, unemployment rate, 17 (16.67)
crime statistics, etc.)
Socioeconomic profile 6 (5.88)
Information related to the city government
Elected officials
✦ Names of all elected officials 63 (61.76)
✦ Profile of all elected officials 8 (7.84)
✦ Names of past and present mayors 6 (5.88)
✦ Names of barangay (village) heads 20 (19.61)
Vision and mission 51 (50.0)
Departments and offices (names of heads) 36 (35.29)
Profile of city government projects 21 (20.59)
Organizational structure 12 (11.76)
Awards and recognitions received by city government or any of its members 10 (9.80)
Accomplishment report 8 (7.84)
Development plan, policies and/or strategies 7 (6.86)
Committees/commissions and their composition 6 (5.88)
a
Figures in parentheses are percentages. These were rounded off to whole numbers in the discussion.
Note: Content having a frequency of 5 and below or those found in just 5 percent of the total number of
websites were taken out from the table to make the presentation more concise. The complete tables can
be found in the full report.
substantive information such as the officials’ profiles. More than 30 percent gave
the names of the department or unit heads within the city hall. Fifty percent con-
tained their vision and mission statements. Only 20 percent had information about
SIAR 145
the programs and projects of their city governments while only 8 percent pub-
lished their accomplishment reports.
Content that promotes efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of front-
line services appears to be quite few. A paltry number of websites contained
information about their frontline services (Table 4). In fact, almost all city websites
in Regions 2, 10, 11, 12, and 13 did not have this type of content while the region
with the most number of city websites having this content was Region 5, with
four out of seven cities. Only less than a third of the city websites in the NCR
had such content.
Among those having information about their frontline services, the most
commonly provided information was the application procedure for securing busi-
ness and other related permits (16%), followed by information on securing local
civil documents (9%). Few had downloadable forms, the most common of which
was the application form for business permits (13%). Only one website (City of
Manila) had online forms, consisting mainly of application forms for securing
birth, marriage, and death certificates as well as business permits. By filling up
the corresponding form and clicking the “Send” button, users can send their
application.
Table 4. Content that promotes efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of front-
line services
Content No. of city

websites a
Application procedures for securing different permits, licenses, and clearances

✦ Business permits/licenses and application procedure (business 16 (15.69)
application or renewal; business name registration; franchise permit;
closure of business)
✦ Local civil documents (birth, marriage, and death certificates; marriage 9 (8.82)
license; change of name; adoption; correction of clerical error on the birth,
marriage, or death certificate; marriage annulment
✦ Application for engineering-related permits and documents (building or excavation 6 (5.88)
permit; health/sanitation; fire safety; electrical; mechanical; occupancy)
Downloadable forms
✦ Application for business permit 13 (12.74)
✦ Application for building permit 10 (9.80)
✦ Application for electrical permit 8 (7.84)
a
websites were taken out from the table for a more concise presentation. The complete tables can be found
in the full report.
Table 5. Content that promotes transparency and accountability in operations and services
Content No. of city

websites a
City government services

✦ Social services (education, health, social welfare, public order and safety) 22 (21.57)
✦ Public educational and health facilities 20 (19.61)
✦ Business-related services (e.g., securing permits) 16 (15.69)
✦ Civil registry 9 (8.82)
✦ Fire protection 9 (8.82)
✦ Sanitation (waste management) 8 (7.84)
✦ Engineering-related services 6 (5.88)
Profile of programs and projects
✦ without cost 15 (14.70)
✦ with cost 4 (3.92)
Update or status of different projects 14 (13.72)
Bids and procurement (invitation to bid and details of required supplies, services, 12 (11.76)
or equipment)
Employment opportunities 8 (7.84)
Ordinances and resolutions b 7 (6.86)
Budget and finances
✦ Financial statement (either balance sheet, income statement, statement of 6 (5.88)
expenditures, or statement of revenues and sources)
a
b
Except for one website wherein copies of ordinances or resolutions can be downloaded, information
given by the rest contains only the titles of specific resolutions or ordinances.
Note: Content having a frequency of 5 and below or those found in less than 5 percent of the total number
of websites were taken out from the table to make the presentation more concise. The complete tables can
be found in the full report.
Moreover, results showed the lack of transparency in providing informa-

tion about services and operations (Table 5). Websites of cities in Regions 2, 11,
and 13 had the least amount of information belonging to this type of content, while
city websites in Regions 5, 6, 7, and the NCR had the most information on this type
of content.
Less than one-third of the total number of websites gave information about
their services, which largely revolved around social services (22%), public educa-
tional and health facilities (20%), and business-related services (16%), such as
those relating to applications for business permits (and other related documents)
and tax incentives, among others. A little more than 10 percent each of the total
number of websites gave the profile and the status of their projects, with only 4
percent publishing the project cost. Several websites provided bids and procure-
ment information (12%). Only 7 percent published their ordinances and resolu-
SIAR 147
tions. Transparency in finances was very low, as only 6 percent posted financial
statements and 2 percent, the city budget.
Additionally, content that promotes citizens’ awareness of the policymaking
process and that enhances their participation in local decisionmaking was very
limited. For instance, only seven websites contained ordinances (Table 6), of which
the only information given was the title of the ordinances, except in Naga City
where downloadable full texts of all the resolutions/ordinances were given.
Only three websites (Naga, Samal, and Davao) contained an online survey
or poll, where their respective citizens could directly voice their views on specific
issues (Table 6). Samal City’s and Davao City’s polls focused on local issues,
namely, bridge construction and the most appropriate investment for the city,
respectively. Naga City’s poll tackled a national issue, the proposed two-child
policy pending in the House of Representatives. Only one website contained the
minutes of the City Council meetings.
For content that facilitates vertical communication, which is part of promot-
ing linkage and interaction (Table 7), the most commonly provided information
was the mayor’s telephone number (45%), followed by his or her e-mail address
(32%). Other officials’ or offices’ contact information was also often given, usually
Table 6. Content that promotes citizens' awareness of policymaking process and their
participation in decisionmaking
Content No. of city

websites a
b
Ordinances and resolution 7 (6.86)
Online surveys and polls 3 (2.94)
✦ Naga City: Are you in favor of the two-child policy suggested by Congress?
Yes, No, Undecided
✦ Samal City: Do you favor the construction of a bridge to connect the Island Garden
City of Samal and Davao City? Yes, No, Undecided, I don't care, I don't know.
✦ Davao City: What do you think would be the most appropriate business investment
in Davao City? Tourism and recreational facilities; Agribusiness and food
processing; Light manufacturing and assembly; Property development;
Transshipment facilities; Establishment of foreign bank branches; Medical,
educational, training, and sports facilities; Environmental enhancement and protection
projects; Telecommunications and information technology
Minutes of meeting of City Council 1 (0.98)
Local election results 1 (0.98)
a
b
Except for one website wherein copies of ordinances or resolutions can be downloaded, information
given by the rest consists only of the titles of the city resolutions or ordinances.
Table 7. Content that promotes linkage and interaction
Content No. of city

websites a
Vertical communication (between city government and citizens and other groups/
actors in the governance process)
Telephone or fax
✦ Mayor 46 (45.10)
✦ Offices and departments 29 (28.43)
✦ General telephone/fax no. 25 (24.51)
✦ Vice Mayor 22 (21.57)
✦ Councilors 16 (15.69)
✦ Selected government offices within the city 7 (6.86)
E-mail
✦ Mayor 33 (32.35)
✦ General e-mail 19 (18.63)
✦ Vice Mayor 16 (15.69)
✦ Website administrator 16 (15.69)
✦ City planning and development officer 11 (10.78)
✦ City information office 9 (8.82)
Guestbook 14 (13.72)
Feedback form 10 (9.80)
Webmail (for city government personnel only) 8 (7.84)
Horizontal communication (among the different groups/actors in the governance
process; does not consider hierarchy)
Discussion forum 14 (13.72)
Chat 9 (8.82)
Telephone number and/or address of private businesses/institutions within the city
✦ Hotels and inns 8 (7.84)
Links to other websitesb
✦ National government portal (www.gov.ph) 58 (56.86)
✦ Provincial website 7 (6.86)
a
b
Promotes either vertical or horizontal communication.
websites were taken out from the table for a more concise presentation. The complete tables can be found
in the full report.
consisting of the telephone numbers of the relevant offices and departments (28%),
the vice mayor (22%), and the councilors (16%) as well as the e-mail addresses of
the vice mayor and the website administrator (16% each) and the planning and
development officer (11%). In general, the websites contained generic contact
information—e-mail address (19%) or telephone number (25%) which, based on
the study, are two of the most commonly provided information to promote citizen
interaction with the city government.
SIAR 149
Regions 2, 10, 11, and 12 had the least number of websites with contact
details—either phone number or e-mail. Examples in the Mindanao area (Regions
10, 11, and 12) are the cities of Malaybalay, Oroqueta, Ozamis, Tangub, Samal,
Tagum, Digos, General Santos, and Kidapawan.
If only a few local government websites had email addresses as contact
information, this is in many ways connected to the fact that the short messaging
system (SMS), popularly known as texting via cellular phones, is more popular
than sending messages via e-mail. As of 2003, there were at least 15 million cellular
phone users (ITU 2003) as against 5.5. million Internet users in the country (Toral
et al. 2004). The preference for SMS over sending messages via the fixed phone
and even the Internet is primarily because of its cheaper cost. Sending an SMS is
eight times less expensive than a one-minute peak period voice call (ITU 2002). But
although cellular phones are widely used in the Philippines, they are mainly used
for SMS and voice calls. By and large, Filipinos do not use them to connect to the
Internet because apart from the high connection fee, more advanced (and thus
costlier) handsets are required. This could explain the slow progress of e-gover-
nance in the country using the Internet. Indeed, relying on websites and other
web-enabled applications alone as e-governance tools appears unwise in a devel-
oping country like the Philippines.
Only 14 percent of the local government websites had guest books. In 10
percent of the websites, feedback forms were available. Only 3 percent each had an
online poll and information on how to send SMS to the city mayor.
The inclusion of features or tools for horizontal communication was rare.
Only 14 percent had an active (i.e., contained messages) discussion forum. Al-
though a bigger percentage of the websites surveyed had this kind of online
facility, the majority of them were still empty, which means they have never been
used. Only 9 percent had an active chat facility.
For websites with interactive features such as discussion forum or chat—
active or empty—it was observed that almost all did not provide any background
information on how to use them. For example, there was no information posted on
most of the websites to inform visitors that they would need to sign up or register
first before they could join the chat or forum. It was assumed that web visitors
already knew what to do. This lack of helpful information may turn away begin-
ners. This could also be one reason why most discussion forums remained
unutilized, containing not a single post. It is worth noting, however, that some
websites with discussion forums, particularly those in Region 10, were being used.
Another reason for the apparent underutilization of websites is the limited,
or inexistent, access to the Internet in many areas, which undoubtedly impedes the
potential of Internet-enabled technologies as tools for growth and development.
In the rural areas, many cities and municipalities still have limited or no access to
Internet-based technologies and only a small percentage of the population has

access to them. This reflects a wide digital divide, which is also one of the reasons
for the low appreciation for websites and other web-enabled technologies in cer-
tain parts of the country, the limited use of electronic facilities such as e-mail and
discussion forums to enhance community participation and interaction, and the
irregular updating and lack of enhancement of most local government websites.
Only a few websites contained the contact details of private institutions
within the city. The telephone numbers and addresses of hotels/inns, however,
were common (8%).
As to links to other websites intended to promote either vertical or horizon-
tal communication, the most frequently used link was to the national government
portal, www.gov.ph, which was included in more than 50 percent of the websites.
Apart from this, only a few had other links, which include, among others, the
provincial website (7%). Websites with links to community organizations and
other groups in civil society were almost negligible.
Table 8 shows the presence of information that promotes increased con-
nection between government and business. There is a noticeable bias for tourism-
Table 8. Content that promotes linkage between government and business
Content No. of city

websites a
Tourism-related information
✦ Sites and attraction 67 (65.69)
✦ Festivals 31 (30.39)
✦ Getting to the city (location; how to get by land, air, or sea) 15 (14.70)
✦ City map 8 (7.84)
✦ Names, addresses, and/or phone numbers of hotels in the city 8 (7.84)
Economy and business-related information
✦ Agriculture and/or fisheries sector 26 (25.49)
✦ Business establishments or industries 22 (21.57)
✦ Business and/or industrial profile 10 (9.80)
Business condition/climate (competitive advantages) 18 (17.65)
Investment-related information
✦ Investment code: tax incentives and how to avail 13 (12.74)
✦ Priority or preferred investment or industries 11 (10.78)
Bids and procurement (invitation to bid and details of required supplies, services, 12 (11.76)
or equipment)
a
websites were taken out from the table for a more concise presentation. The complete tables can be
found in the full report.
SIAR 151
related information. More than 60 percent contained information about tourism
sites or destinations in their respective cities. The number of websites with infor-
mation about festivals (30%) was even greater than those containing economic
and business data, such as those on agriculture and/or fisheries (25%) and busi-
ness establishments or industries (22%).
Across the regions, the importance accorded to tourism information was
evident. This shows a conscious effort on the part of the national government to
promote the country as a tourism destination in Asia. An online eLGU project
update (i.e., “Establishment of LGU Web Presence,” dated 19 February 2004) sup-
ports this observation. In this document, tourism development—touted as a pri-
mary engine of economic growth—is cited as one of the government’s objectives
for helping local governments develop a web presence. It may be recalled that
former tourism secretary Richard Gordon had been known to be actively pushing
for the creation of a website in each local government as a way of helping the
country improve the local tourism industry and therefore generate more jobs in
the countryside.
It seemed, however, that information on the local economy and the cities’
business climate, which is particularly important for attracting local investments,
was sacrificed in favor of tourism-related information. Only the city websites in
Regions 5, 6, and 7 gave equal importance to these kinds of information. The
websites of Regions 2, 8, 13, and ARMM had the least information on the local
economy, investment opportunities, or tourism.
About 18 percent of the websites contained information on the competitive
advantages of their cities, while 15 percent, obviously targeting tourists and visi-
tors, had information on how to get to their cities (Table 8). Some websites in-
cluded information on how to invest in their cities by putting their investment
code (13%) and their priority or preferred investments or industries (11%). Only 12
percent posted bid notices.
Table 9 lists the top 20 content across different content types and their
corresponding e-governance functions. The prevalence of typical information—
those pertaining to the social, cultural, and political characteristics of the cities—
was apparent. Historical information topped the list, followed by physical resources,
sites and attraction, the names of elected officials, human resources, and vision/
mission. Beyond this, less than 50 percent contained contact information (either
their e-mail address or telephone number) to facilitate easy and direct access to the
city government. Critical information needed to promote an informed citizenry,
such as community news and information about programs and projects, was pro-
vided by only 22 and 15 percent of the websites, respectively. Information on city
government services and procedures was also seldom given. Efficiency-enhanc-
ing content such as procedures for obtaining documents, permits, and licenses
was included in only a few websites, with business permit application procedure
as the most commonly provided information (16%). Fostering linkage with the
Table 9. Top 20 content, overall
Content E-governance No. of city

function b websitesa
1. History Function 1 86 (84.31)

2. Physical resources Function 1 67 (65.69)
Sites and attraction Function 1 67 (65.69)
3. Names of elected officials Function 1 63 (61.76)
4. Human resources Function 1 53 (51.96)
5. Vision/mission Function 1 51 (50.00)
6. City mayor’s telephone number Function 5 46 (45.10)
7. Names of department/office heads Function 1 36 (35.29)
8. City mayor’s e-mail address Function 5 33 (32.35)
9. Festivals Function 1,6 31 (30.39)
10. Infrastructure Function 1 29 (28.43)
11. Local economy Function 1 26 (25.49)
Public utilities Function 1 26 (25.49)
Agriculture/fisheries profile Function 1,6 26 (25.49)
12. Land use plan Function 1 25 (24.51)
General or nonspecific telephone number of city government Function 5 25 (24.51)
13. Community news Function 1 22 (21.57)
Social services Function 3 22 (21.57)
Business establishments and industries Function 6 22 (21.57)
14. Cityhood Function 1 21 (20.59)
15. Public educational and health facilities Function 3 20 (19.61)
Names of barangay (village) heads Function 1 20 (19.61)
16. General or nonspecific e-mail address of city government Function 5 19 (18.63)
17. Competitive advantage Function 6 18 (17.65)
18. Selected socioeconomic indicators Function 1 17 (16.67)
(poverty incidence, unemployment rate, crime statistics)
19. Application procedure for business permit and other Function 2 16 (15.69)
business-related licenses
20. Profile of projects (without cost) Function 3 15 (14.70)
Getting to the city (tourist information) Function 6 15 (14.70)
a
b
Function 1: Content that promotes citizens’ awareness and understanding of their city’s physical,
cultural, and political characteristics; 2: Content that promotes effectiveness and efficiency in service
delivery; 3: Content that promotes transparency and accountability of government operations and ser-
vices; 4: Content that promotes citizens’ awareness of the policymaking process and their participation
in decisionmaking; 5: Content that promotes linkage and interaction between government and citizens and
other groups in society; 6: Content that promotes increased connection between government and
business.
SIAR 153
business sector to support economic development was only slightly pursued;
much of the information under this category revolved around the profiles of the
fisheries/agriculture industries (25%), business establishments and industries
(22%), and the cities’ competitive advantage (18%). Transparency-promoting
content such as the city budget and bid announcements did not even make it to
the top 20.
By e-governance function, information supportive of Function 1 dominated
the websites while there was little information promoting the other functions,
suggesting an unbalanced content.
Quality
In terms of usability, about 92 percent of the total number of websites had ad-
equate page lengths, 91 percent with consistent navigational bars and links, and
89 percent with consistent color and format (Table 10). Although the format and
structure varied by website, it was noticeable that websites whose web addresses
contained the letters “ncc” (which refers to the National Computer Center) used a
specific template, resulting in almost the same appearance across these sites. The
template was supplied by the eLGU Project to local governments with no website
as part of its mandate to get all Philippine local governments online, with initially at
least a static web presence (Stage 1 in the UN-ASPA Stages of E-government).4
The goal is for them to develop their websites and progress to the next two higher
stages of e-government: Stage 2 (characterized by the presence of downloadable
forms, search function/site map, message board/feedback form, and newsletters or
publications/purchase information) and Stage 3 (characterized by the presence of
downloadable forms, specialized databases, online forms, chat/forum/discussion
board, and user log-in and password). By 2005, the project’s third year, it was
envisioned that all websites shall have reached Stage 3 (see eLGU website for
details).
As for the presence of a site map, only 47 percent recognized its importance
as a tool for navigation for users and as a pathway for search engine robots. About
63 percent had a search tool capable of keyword-search only. One website
4
The template, however, is flexible, as emphasized by eLGU Project Director for Field Operations
Ma. Teresa Camba. Local governments could add or modify sections of the template. Also, the
template was provided to target users along with the necessary training. Several one-day LGU
Website Development Training sessions (initially at the provincial level and later on at the city or
municipal level) were conducted to orient users on the website template, which also involved
hands-on sessions on the creation of the website using the NCC-developed template. Prior to the
training, the participants were also instructed to bring relevant materials (text and images) that they
could already upload online. Each local government was assigned a Universal Resource Locator
(URL) and password for use in accessing the website template's content management system for
them to work on the completion and enhancement of their respective sites after the training.
Table 10. Usability indicators
Indicator No. of city websites a
Adequate page length 94 (92.16)

Consistent navigational bars and links 93 (91.18)
Consistent color and formatting 91 (89.21)
Availability of a site map 48 (47.06)
Availability of a search tool 63 (61.76)
a
(Zamboanga City’s) used the Google search engine, thus enabling it to generate
search results present in other websites.
Additionally, several websites were found to be mostly empty. Technically,
they have a web presence, but considering their negligible content, these websites
are almost useless. These include the websites of Cauayan (Region 2); Malolos,
Cabanatuan, San Jose, and Angeles (Region 3); Kabankalan (Region 6); Pagadian
(Region 9); and Panabo (Region 11). The poor quality of downloadable forms
available in some websites also negates the usefulness of these forms. An example
is the website of Valenzuela in the NCR (and Candon in Region 2) that had
downloadable permits (e.g., sanitation permit, electrical permit), that turned out to
be mere scanned images (JPEG). When printed, these forms were too small, occu-
pying only a third of a standard paper size and thus could not be used.
The next indicator of quality that was measured was responsiveness. Al-
though 72 city governments (71%) gave their e-mail addresses, sending messages
to these was useful only to the extent that the messages elicited replies (Function
5). Following the methodology of West (2000), each city government that pro-
vided an e-mail address or addresses in its website was sent a message with a
simple question: “I am trying to find out when your city hall is open. May I know
your agency’s official hours?” Response to the message was timed by the number
of days it took the sender to get a reply.
Based on the results, the responsiveness of the city governments was very
poor (Table 11). Only 28 percent responded to the inquiry, with the most number of
responses coming from cities in Regions 5 and 7. Only three cities in Metro Manila
sent a response, which reflects the low level of responsiveness of Philippine local
governments, including those in the central region.
About 14 percent of the e-mailed inquiries bounced. Reasons given by the
notification of delivery failure included full mailbox, invalid user account, address
rejected/unknown user, and connection timed out (system downtime). Emails that
bounced were re-sent after two days. One e-mail was sent successfully while the
rest bounced again.
SIAR 155
Table 11. Responsiveness
Response to e-mail inquiry No. of city websitesa
Within the same day 3 (4.17)

After 1 day 5 (6.94)
After 2 days 2 (2.78)
After 7 days or longer 2 (2.78)
Total that responded 20 (27.78)
No response 52 (72.22)
E-mails that bounced back 10 (13.89)
a
Of those that responded, the majority responded after a day, the others
three days. The longest duration for a response was at least one week. The
responses also varied in length. Some gave short answers, responding only to
the main question of the city hall’s official hours. Others were more detailed;
some offered advice on the best day to visit the city hall as well as other means
by which to access it. Examples are the following:
✦ From Cebu City (mayor@cebucity.gov.ph):
“The Cebu City Hall is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 in the morn-
ing to 5:00 in the afternoon. For any inquiry, you can visit our website
at http://www.cebucity.gov.ph or you may call our Customer Service at
(032) 254-8762 or (032) 253-8124, look for Sandra or Malou. Hope
we could be of service to you.”
✦ From Parañaque City (palanyag@yahoo.com)
“Parañaque City Hall is open from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
Insider’s tip: if you want an almost complete attendance of department
heads, be there on Monday mornings; if you prefer days when there are
less people, be there Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
✦ From Tarlac City (mayoraro@mozcom.com)
“For your information and guidance, Tarlac City Hall is open during
weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. But there is one unit under the
Mayor’s Office that is open any time, 24 hours a day, to attend to emer-
gency situations. This is the EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT (ERU)
located in front of the Tarlac Cathedral.
Thank you for your inquiry. For complaints, comments or suggestions,
e-text Mayor ARO, just type MAYORARO<space>MESSAGE<space>name
& address<space> and send to 2960.”

One city government was even apologetic for its delayed response (after
nine days).
✦ From Toledo City (toledoinfo@yahoo.com)
“The Toledo City Hall is open Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., except when there is a declared non-working holiday.
We apologize for the delay of this response, since we forgot the e-mail
account password and have to use every resource at our disposal to
recall it.”
The foregoing discussion shows the extent to which city governments in

the Philippines have implemented the e-governance concept as a strategy for
improving local governance. Notwithstanding a significant rise in web presence
among local governments, this is diminished by the status of the websites, par-
ticularly the content provided to the public. The results indicated the absence of
appropriate and substantial content that could enhance local governance, the
still-static nature of the websites, the limited use of electronic mechanisms for
promoting public participation, and the presence of sites that barely contained
information—all of which reduce the usefulness of the websites and the effective-
ness of e-governance at the local government level.
The paltry information available on the websites somehow reflects the reluc-
tance of local governments to share information with the public. The promotion of
transparency and accountability has been one of the main goals of the public
sector reforms. The practice of democracy demands public access to government
information and services (Caves 2004). Much depends on the government, there-
fore, as the holder and supplier of information. Unfortunately, even with new
technologies that could assist the government in facilitating public access to
information, and despite the existence of laws upholding the people’s right to
information, a culture of secrecy in government is still palpable. Although the
Philippines has yet to enact a law on freedom of access to information, it remains
the only country in Southeast Asia to have enshrined in its Constitution the right
of the people to public information (Chua 2001).5 Chua asserted that the reluc-
5
Said right, however, is not absolute. There are various restrictions imposed on various occasions.
The most comprehensive list of exceptions to the right is found in the implementing rules of Republic
Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, issued
by the Civil Service Commission. Examples of exceptions include information that must be kept
secret in the interest of national defense or security or the conduct of foreign affairs, information that
will endanger the life and safety of an individual, information of a personal nature such as physician-
patient privilege, information whose premature disclosure may endanger the stability of a financial
institution, and information that may interfere with enforcement proceedings and may deprive a
person of a fair trial or an impartial adjudication (Chua 2001).
SIAR 157
tance of civil servants to provide information stems from their belief that provid-
ing access is not integral to their work. Another is the fear that the information
they release might be used against them in lawsuits and other cases. Prof. Ben
Lim, a political scientist interviewed by Chua, also cited as reasons the incompe-
tence, lack of professionalism, and the plain simple-mindedness of government
officials and employees. Many government workers, he said, lack skills in
recordkeeping, filing, and organizing documents in usable and retrievable form.
Indeed, in many state agencies and departments, and especially in many LGUs,
the records section and library have yet to be computerized. Hence, information
available in electronic format that can be shared through e-mails and websites is
negligible.
The poor content and quality of most websites is also related to the weak
ICT organization in the LGUs. The 2002 LGU e-Governance Survey conducted
under the eLGU Project to assess the ICT resources and status of e-governance in
the LGUs revealed the poor state of IT development. One indicator of the deplor-
able state of IT development is the absence of an office in more than half of the
survey respondents (399 out of 707)6 that can handle their computerization re-
quirements. A second indicator is the limited number of ICT personnel within their
organization.7 Only 2,403 ICT personnel were reported, a measly 2 percent of the
total reported LGU personnel population of 114,541. Then, almost half of the ICT
personnel are on casual employment. Also, not all ICT personnel possess the
qualifications to handle the technical demands of e-governance. Over 35 percent
have neither taken an ICT-related degree in college nor have undergone any ICT-
related training. These problems are compounded by personnel turnover that not
only affects program continuity but also results in the need to train new staff.
The lack of appreciation by local governments of the value of websites as e-
governance tools is also another constraint. Although the eLGU Project is present
to assist the local governments, the initiative to enhance their websites and regu-
6
The survey, which started in August 2002, targeted a total population of 1,690 local governments
classified as follows: 79 provinces, 115 cities, and 1,496 municipalities. However, at the end of the
survey period (April 2003), only a total of 707 local governments (74 cities, 56 provinces, and 577
municipalities) submitted accomplished questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 41.83 per-
cent. The analysis, therefore, was limited to this sampling. The full text of the survey report may be
downloaded from the eLGU project website at http://eLGU.ncc.gov.ph/.
7
eLGU Project Director Ma. Teresa Camba noted in an interview on 16 December 2004 that this
could be attributed somehow to the inability of many local governments to create new permanent
positions, specifically for IT, having already reached the prescribed ceiling for permanent staff and
thus the lack of funds to hire any additional staff even on a contractual basis. Some innovative local
governments, however, managed to sidestep this seeming constraint by setting up economic
enterprises (since they have the power and authority to create their own sources of revenue under
Section 18 of the Local Government Code) and then creating IT positions whose salaries could be
charged to these projects.
larly update them is the local governments’ responsibility. In the opinion of the
eLGU Project field director, many local governments still do not see the value of
websites as a tool for disseminating information and delivering services and as
a means of fostering closer linkage with citizens. Part of the reason is attributable
to the technological barriers that impede e-governance. Many local govern-
ments believe that that it would be useless to have a website when only a small
percentage of the population could view it. Another reason often mentioned is
the inadequacy of budget to implement e-governance. While these two reasons
are indeed major obstacles, a number of LGUs in the country have managed to
find ways to hurdle them. And central to the success of these LGUs is the
presence of a strong and committed political leadership that appreciates the
potentials of ICTs for development.
Additionally, as with any program, the change in leadership is a critical issue
because, by and large, it leads to changes in priorities. Almost 50 percent of the
LGUs (provinces, cities, municipalities) changed their leaders in the 2004 national/
local elections. According to Director Camba, this meant starting all over again the
building of appreciation among the newly elected officials of the usefulness of
ICTs and the benefits of e-governance.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Results of the assessment indicated the minimal adoption of e-governance by the
majority of the city governments and the underutilization of their websites as e-
governance tools. Most of the information provided was only geared toward
promoting citizens’ awareness and understanding of their community’s character-
istics. Yet, whatever information provided on this aspect also has to be enhanced
since it was limited to standard information only such as demography, history and
culture, and a few political information focused mostly on the composition of the
city government.
Efficiency-enhancing content such as procedures for transacting with the
city government and downloadable forms was present in only a few websites.
Content promoting citizens’ awareness of the local policymaking process and their
participation in decisionmaking was negligible. In terms of content that promotes
linkage and interaction with the citizens, only a small number of websites had
contact information (e.g., phone number and email address) and online facilities
for interaction such as discussion forums. Content fostering linkage with the
business sector to support economic development was very limited. Transpar-
ency-promoting content, such as financial information and bids and procurement
information, was given by only a few websites.
There is clearly a dearth of substantial information and resources that could
enhance the quality and speed of service delivery, promote transparency, facilitate
SIAR 159
public participation in decisionmaking, and, ultimately, bring government, citizens,
business, community organizations, and other groups in society together in the
governance process. If the government will continue to exclude citizens’ voice and
participation in local governance and remain indifferent to their information needs,
this could only exacerbate the gap between them, which as Caves (2004) put it,
may only increase citizens’ frustration over the government’s lack of adequate
response and ultimately make them even more distrustful of it.
As for the usability of the websites, the majority lacked useful tools for
navigation such as site maps and search capability. Several websites also barely
contained information while others had poor-quality images and downloadable
forms. Also, the responsiveness of city governments was found to be poor. Only
a small percentage of city websites with email addresses responded to the simple
message inquiring about their official hours.
Time and again, technological access has been pinpointed as the most seri-
ous constraint to the slow adoption and application of ICTs for governance. In-
deed, it would take time to eradicate the digital divide, as it is not simply an issue
of connectivity, lack of access, or low computer and Internet literacy. It is a gap
that, as Sy (2002) noted, is conditioned by traditional social divisions of class,
income, education, gender, age, ethnicity, and social geography.
However, aside from the problem of digital divide, the study identified other
equally critical issues that require serious attention, because they impinge on the
availability of information itself and the organizational capacity and motivation of
the government to embrace the e-governance concept. These issues include: (1)
the apathy of the government to provide information despite the existence of a
“right to information” of the people that is enshrined in the Constitution and a
Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees that
requires them to make public records accessible to the public; (2) the lack of
appreciation by local governments of the value of e-governance tools such as
websites, which is partly attributable to access and connectivity issues, especially
in the rural areas, resulting in low motivation among many cities to utilize ICTs (in
most cases, however, it is not just technological barriers that impede the adoption
but the absence of political leadership that can provide the needed impetus for e-
governance efforts); (3) the leadership turnovers that often lead to changes in
priorities; (4) the weak ICT organization in many local governments; and (5) the
greater popularity of text messaging over Internet and web-enabled applications.
The present apathy of government to voluntarily provide information is a
significant constraint to e-governance. The 2000 E-commerce Law that mandated
the adoption of e-governance by government should be complemented by a stron-
ger and more liberal legislation that upholds the people’s right to information and
its more proactive compliance by government. Sadly, however, even with new
technologies that could assist it in making information delivery more effective and
efficient and despite the existence of relevant legislation, the government is slow
to respond to the challenge of e-governance. There is a strong opinion that the
current charter on the right to information enshrined in the Constitution is prohibi-
tive and subjective, given its many exceptions, hence the need for revisions or for
the enactment of a separate Freedom of Information Law, similar to what Thailand
did in 1997. A similar bill passed third reading in the 11th Congress; six bills ad-
dressing the right to information remained pending in the Senate (Chua 2001). This
suggests the need for a more vigorous lobbying by concerned groups such as the
media, grassroots organizations, and civil society to “repeal restrictive legislation
or to enact a liberal information law” (Coronel 2001).
In addressing the problem of digital divide, the choice of appropriate strate-
gies is critical. Otherwise, these strategies could only exacerbate the gap and lead
to greater socioeconomic inequalities. The government seems to be on the right
track for choosing the community e-center as one of its strategies for widening
access to ICTs. For one thing, providing universal access to ICTs to every person
in the country—the concept of “a computer for every desk” or a “telephone in
every home”—requires huge capital and therefore is not a logical strategy for a
cash-strapped government like the Philippines. The concept of publicly owned,
publicly accessible facilities with community e-centers facilitates resource pooling
and resource sharing, and effectively addresses resource insufficiency. Commu-
nity ownership and management of ICT infrastructure also promote broad-based
stakeholdership in development.
However, making the concept work is a huge challenge. A community e-
center is just like any enterprise whose success depends on the clients’ or the
residents’ patronage. Planning an e-center should be no different from designing
a private enterprise; important factors such as affordability, proximity and conve-
nience, and the residents’ perceived usefulness of the products and services it
offers should be considered. Making it sustainable requires the residents to ap-
preciate the value of the e-center in their daily lives. Thus, groundwork activities
in the community such as local meetings and consultation prior to its setting up
are crucial to ensure residents’ support. Determining their priority information and
service requirements is needed for designing application systems and solutions
that cater to their needs. The presence of these need-specific services would
highlight the uniqueness of community e-centers over privately owned ones such
as commercial Internet cafes.
Another recommendable strategy for addressing digital divide—which is
also the strategy being pursued by best-practice cases in e-governance such as
the city of Naga—is the use of the formal education system to increase ICT lit-
eracy. Undoubtedly, education is still the most effective strategy for building
SIAR 161
people’s awareness and imparting the correct knowledge and attitude. By strength-
ening the current ICT-related efforts of the Department of Education through its
Cyberschool project, the city government of Naga is helping to build a core of
adopters with an assured multiplier effect that can contribute to the sustainability
of ICT acceptability and adoption. This will guarantee the presence of a popula-
tion with an appreciation for ICT.
The right combination of ICT tools for e-governance is likewise important.
Reliance on the Internet and web-enabled applications as e-governance tools
appears unwise in the Philippines where Internet literacy and access is still in the
enhancement stage. The present reality that points to the effectiveness of SMS,
given its wide popularity, signifies the need for government to be more exhaustive
in promoting its use in service delivery. It also signals the urgency of developing
more SMS-enabled applications.
At present, the use of information technologies to promote democratic gov-
ernance has barely taken off at the local government level and even at the national
level. There is little recognition by government of the democratic and development
potentials of ICTs. In general, the utilization of ICTs has remained fairly conserva-
tive, as they are mainly used for improving internal government processes and, of
late, for information and service delivery. As formal tools in participatory and
deliberative processes of democracy, however, ICTs in the Philippines have yet to
achieve this status. Schove (cited in Anttiroiko 2004) attributes this reluctance to
the conservative view of technology. He said what is needed is a better under-
standing of technology along more democratic lines, a perception of ICTs as
potentially capable of strengthening democracy by creating closer relationships
between public administration and citizens.
Promoting the wider application of ICTs by government in interacting with
the public may help to diffuse the concept. However, LGUs still have a lot of work
to do to enhance the content of their websites, which are deficient of even basic
information or tools (e-mail address, feedback form) necessary for promoting com-
munication and linkage between government and citizens. Local governments
must also endeavor to improve their responsiveness to citizens’ requests, which
also turned out to be very low at present.
Gradually introducing ICTs as legitimate tools in formal procedures to get
the citizens’ voice, such as electronic referendums, opinion polls and surveys,
feedback systems, and ultimately, in voting/election, is important to speed up the
adoption process. Thomas (2004) said that public administrators should not be
reluctant to experiment with new technologies, but he also cautioned that they
should not proceed too naively and should plan carefully before using these
technologies for public involvement. New technological options, he noted, could
dramatically alter the character of public involvement.
However, because access to ICTs is still limited, these electronic tools of

participation should not be used as substitutes for the more conventional meth-
ods of face-to-face communication and paper technology, especially in a setting
like the Philippines where the digital divide is still wide. Instead, these should be
used to augment existing tools and strategies for eliciting participation. The goal
should be to broaden people’s access to decisionmaking by opening up more
avenues by which they can participate, and giving them various options on how
they can do it. That in itself is democracy at work. Low level of participation has
also been linked to the high cost of participation—in terms of the time and money
a person expends to participate. ICTs could lower the cost of participation and
could thus enhance the level of citizen involvement.
SIAR 163
APPENDIX
Appendix 1. Location of the different regions in the Philippine map,

the cities belonging to each region, and their web ad-
dresses as of September 2004
Region/City Web address Region/City Web address
Region I (8) Region III continued

Laoag elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/laoag Muñoz elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/munoz
Candon elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/cityofcandon Palayan still no website
Vigan www.vigan.gov.ph San Jose elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/nejose
San Fernando www.sanfernandocity.gov.ph Angeles elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/pampanga
Alaminos* www.alaminos.gov.ph San Fernando elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/sanfernando-
Dagupan www.dagupan.gov.ph pampanga
San Carlos www.vmuf.edu.ph/sancarloscity Tarlac www.tarlac.com.ph
Urdaneta elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/urdcty Olongapo** www.olongapocity.gov.ph
Region II (3) Balanga www.cityofbalanga.gov.ph
Tuguegarao elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/tuguegarao Region IV (12)
Cauayan elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/cauayancity- Batangas elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/batangascity
isabela Lipa elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/lipacity
Santiago www.geocities.com/cityofsantiago Tanauan elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/tanauan
Region III (12) Cavite elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/cavitecity
Malolos elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/malolos Tagaytay** www.tagaytaycity.net
San Jose Trece Martires* e l g u 2 . n c c . g o v. p h / t r e c e m a r t i -
del Monte elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/sjdmcity rescity
Cabanatuan elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/cabanatuan Calamba elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/cityofcalamba
Gapan elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/gapan San Pablo www.msc.net.ph/spc
Region IV continued Region VII continued

Lucena elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/lucenacity Lapu-lapu elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Antipolo www.antipolocity lapulapu-city
Calapan* www.cityofcalapan.gov.ph Mandaue www.mandauecity.gov.ph
Puerto Talisay www.talisaycitycebu.gov.ph
Princesa elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/puertoprincesa Toledo elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Region V (7) toledoy-city
Iriga elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/iriga Bais elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/bais
Naga www.naga.gov.ph Bayawan elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Masbate elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/masbatecity himaymalan-city
Sorsogon elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/sorsogoncity Canlaon elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Legazpi elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/legazpicity canlaon-city
Ligao elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/ligaocity Dumaguete elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Tabaco elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/tabacocity dumaguete-city
Region VI (16) Tanjay elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Roxas elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ himaymalan-city
roxascity Region VIII (4)
Iloilo www.iloilocity.cjb.net Ormoc elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Passi elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ ecommunity/ ormoc
passicity-iloilo Tacloban elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Bacolod www.bacolodcity.gov.ph tacloban
Bago elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Calbayog elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
bagocity calbayogcity-wsamar
Cadiz www.cadizcity.gov.ph Maasin* elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Escalante www.escalantecity.gov.ph maasincity
Himaymalan elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Region IX (5)
himaymalan-city Dapitan www.dapitan.com
Kabankalan elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Dipolog dipologcity.gov.ph
kabankalan Pagadian elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
La Carlota* www.lacarlotacity.gov.ph pagadian
Sagay www.sagay-city.com.ph Zamboanga www.zamboanga.com
San Carlos www.sancarlos.com.ph Isabela* elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Silay www.silaycity.gov.ph isabelacity
Sipalay elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Region X (8)
sipalay-city Malaybalay www.philcom.ph/gov/malaybalay
Talisay* elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Valencia elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
talisaycity-negocc Valencia
Victorias* www.victoriascity.gov.ph Oroquieta elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Region VII (12) oroquieta
Tagbilaran www.tagbilaran.gov.ph Ozamis www.ozamis.com
Cebu www.cebuycity.gov.ph Tangub www.tangub.net
Danao elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Cagayan
danao-city de Oro elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
cagayandeoro
SIAR 165
Region X continued Region XIII continued

Gingoog elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Surigao caraga13.gov.ph/surigaocity
gingoog Bislig caraga13.gov.ph/bisligcity
Iligan www.iligan-city.net ARMM (1)
Region XI (5) Marawi elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/
Panabo elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ marawicity
panabo CAR (1)
Samal www.samalcity.gov.ph Baguio** www.baguio.gov.ph
Tagum tagumcity.20m.com NCR (13)
Davao www.davaocity.gov.ph Manila www.cityofmanila.com.ph
Digos elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Mandaluyong www.mandaluyong.gov.ph
digos Marikina www.marikina.gov.ph
Region XII (5) Pasig www.pasig-city.gov.ph
General Santos www.mindanao.com/gensan Quezon City www.quezoncity.gov.ph
Koronadal elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Kalookan* www.caloocan.gov.ph
koronadal Malabon www.mlabon.gov.ph
Tacurong elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Valenzuela elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/valenzuela
tacurong Las Piñas www.geocities.com/laspinascity
Kidapawan elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/ Makati www.makati.gov.ph
kidapawan Muntinlupa www.muntinlupacity.gov.ph
Cotabato www.cotabato.gov.ph Parañaque www.geocities.com/palanyag/
Region XIII (3) government.html
Butuan caraga13.gov.ph/butuancity Pasay elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/pasay
* Inaccessible; **Under construction/renovation during the evaluation period.

Sources: (1) Map: http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/background_papers/2003/Philippines/
Philippines_2003_Annex_1.pdf
(2) Web addresses: eLGU project document
Note: The web addresses of the city governments were as of September 2004, as gathered from the
eLGU project website. Some city governments may have changed their addresses and made updates
after the evaluation was conducted.
Appendix 2. Framework used for assessing the city government websites

SIAR 167
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E-governance at the local government level in the

Article · January 2005

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E-governance at the Local Government

Significance of the study

Region City websites Accessible Inaccessible Under

Region 1 (Ilocos Region) 8 7 1

Total 114a 102 (89.47%) 10 (8.77%) 2 (1.75%)

Table 2. Functional categorization of information in the assessment of web content

Function Relevant information/resource

2 - Promote efficiency and effectiveness in the ✦ Government services and procedures

3 - Promote transparency and accountability of ✦ Government services and procedures

4 - Promote citizens’ awareness of the ✦ Information on local policymaking process

Box 1. E-governance functions and the types of information and re-

Function 1: Promote citizens’ awareness and understanding of their community’s characteris-

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Content No. of city websitesa

Information related to the city

Content No. of city

Application procedures for securing different permits, licenses, and clearances

Content No. of city

City government services

Moreover, results showed the lack of transparency in providing informa-

Content No. of city

Table 7. Content that promotes linkage and interaction

Content No. of city

Internet-based technologies and only a small percentage of the population has

Table 8. Content that promotes linkage between government and business

Content No. of city

Table 9. Top 20 content, overall

Content E-governance No. of city

1. History Function 1 86 (84.31)

Table 10. Usability indicators

Indicator No. of city websites a

Adequate page length 94 (92.16)

Response to e-mail inquiry No. of city websitesa

Within the same day 3 (4.17)

& address<space> and send to 2960.”

The foregoing discussion shows the extent to which city governments in

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

However, because access to ICTs is still limited, these electronic tools of

Appendix 1. Location of the different regions in the Philippine map,

Region/City Web address Region/City Web address

Region I (8) Region III continued

Region/City Web address Region/City Web address

Region IV continued Region VII continued

Region/City Web address Region/City Web address

Region X continued Region XIII continued

* Inaccessible; **Under construction/renovation during the evaluation period.

Appendix 2. Framework used for assessing the city government websites

Anttiroiko, A-V. 2004. Introduction to democratic e-governance, p. 22-49. In

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