Council lauds OBO permit processing

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has commended the Office of the Building Official (OBO) for committing to process building permits within one hour using digital technology.

Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos sponsored a resolution regarding the matter which was approved by the council Wednesday.

The OBO headed by Architect Florante Catalan has guaranteed a maximum of one hour processing time for the issuance of building permits in the city.

This commitment is made possible through the adoption by the OBO of the OBO-Information System (OBO-IS) Version 3 developed by the city government's Management Information and Computer Services (MICS), which allows for simultaneous processing of application documents including the architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical plans.

Delos Santos said that the adoption of digital technologies and process automation in government offices is about enabling a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of services to the public, lessening corruption by reducing discretion and increasing transparency, and thus raising the public's trust in and level of satisfaction and engagement with government.

She said the private sector has been leading the adoption of digital technologies in the country through e-commerce, online payments, telemedicine, among others, which has made many people call on the government to follow suit.

The councilor said the OBO has commendably responded to this call with its expedited timeline and simplified processing of permit applications through the use of digital technology and innovative strategies.

“Such action deserves public recognition, as well as emulation by other departments of the City of Cebu,” said delos Santos.

For the processing and issuance of building permits, the applicants should prepare the complete documents in accordance with the minimum standards under the National Building Code, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and the city’s applicable ordinances.

They must put their required building plans as well as documents in a flash drive and present it to the OBO for processing.

After that, it will not reach an hour waiting for the issuance of their actual building permits.

Republic Act 8792 or the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 urges all agencies of government, including local government units (LGUs), to promote the use of electronic transactions in their offices and by the general public. —JMD (FREEMAN)