Around 30,000 residents have already enrolled in the Baguio In My Pocket (BIMP) free smart phone application with the number expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks through aggressive registration and information campaigns.
Secretary to the Mayor Philip Puzon reported during the Jan. 6 management committee meeting that the pilot testing proved successful as authorized registration officers (ARO) registered 23,000 residents of Irisan in just three weeks despite delays and other unforeseen circumstances paving the way for a city-wide roll-out of the program.
As part of the strategy to increase the number of AROs for the city-wide registration’s implementation, Puzon said assistance of the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) Federation headed by Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales was sought.
BIMP is a collection of applications aimed at promoting an e-government ecosystem to include cashless payment transactions, citizen data management, contact tracing, and other essential services to residents.
The program started in July 2020 when a memorandum of agreement was signed between the city and Pasig-based Information Technology Business Solutions (ITBS) Corporation, the app’s provider.
ITBS trained more than 80 ARO who were accredited by the local civil registry office and used for the program’s pilot testing at Irisan in October 2020 as its proof of concept.
On Nov. 29, 2020, ITBS trained more than 80 SK representatives.
Puzon said the goal is to register every Baguio resident, each family member, to the free BIMP application.
In December 2020, all city government officials and employees were required to enroll in the BIMP app.
Three booths manned by AROs were set up at City Hall to facilitate the registration process.
Puzon said the app is currently used for business and real property tax assessments with its QR code features for entry protection and access to City Hall.
Engagements are presently ongoing with various payment solution providers, he added.
Puzon said targets for this year are the full implementation of the business portal app (scan to check-in) on Jan. 11; online marketplace, market to home delivery, riders’ app and e-gov online payment, all on Feb. 15.
BIMP assistance booths are installed at the City Hall lobby, flagpole area, and at Baguio Central School for those interested to register in the BIMP app. – Gaby B. Keith
April 26, 2024
