As the country tries to move forward to a better, more transparent government, the Department
of Interior and Local Government has encouraged the LGU’s of the country to develop their own
website. This is primarily for the purpose of transparency in their fiscal records, and so that the
people will have easier access to the LGU officials themselves.
This is an excellent move by the DILG as the government must never be left out in taking
advantage of the technology that is available and reasonably affordable. Websites, aside from
providing information, and as what we have been repeating, is a great tool for advertising or
marketing. For instance, if the respective LGU has wonderful beaches to boast of, or products
that are unique only to their place, they can put it on their website and the whole world gets
a chance to see it and perhaps spend their money on it. Posters and flyers may work, but
they are not cost-efficient and do not reach the other side of the world unless you commission
someone to do it. Doubts on maintenance and security? The web already has a solution to that,
the LGU just has to find the right people to develop their sites.
Only a couple of local government units in Bohol are taking advantage of this technology as
of now, but with the encouragement coming from the DILG itself, it will not be long that LGU’s
will realize the importance and convenience of having one. An official website is not just for
private businesses, it is however, even more essential to the government as it helps greatly in
the LGU’s performance of both its governmental and corporate functions.