The Philippines has climbed 24 notches to rank 71st out of 193 countries in e-government development, according to a survey by the United Nations (UN).

The United Nations Public Administration Country Studies (UNPACS) survey, conducted among UN member-countries, uses E-Government Development Index (EGDI) as composite indicator of the willingness and capacity of national governments to utilize information and communications technology (ICT) in the delivery of public services.

The country’s latest standing is a significant improvement from its 95th rank during the initial survey done in 2014 that is based on three important dimensions of e-government, namely: Scope and quality of online services (OSI), development status of telecommunication infrastructure index (TII), and inherent human capital.

The UN E-Government Survey 2016 showed that the Philippines has improved in its e-government performance and made the leap from middle-EGDI category of 0.47681 in 2014 to high-EGDI values of 0.57655, with 1 being the perfect grade.

This raised the Philippines to world rank 71 from rank 95 in 2014 and slightly surpassing the world average of 0.4922 and Asian average of 0.5132.

The Philippines Online Service Index (OSI), on the other hand, also showed an increase from 0.48031 in 2014 survey to 0.66667 in 2016, therefore enhancing the national EGDI by 39 percent.

The same report cited an improvement in the Philippine telecommunication infrastructure index (TII). The TII is an arithmetic average of five indicators, namely: internet users per 100 inhabitants; number of main fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants; number of mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants; number of wireless broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants; and number of fixed broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

The Philippine TII improved 54 percent in 2016 to 0.37909 from 0.24508 in 2014. The TII is the arithmetic average of five indicators, namely: internet users per 100 inhabitants; number of main fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants; number of mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants; number of wireless broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants; and number of fixed broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

The UNPACS report said wireless broadband subscriptions in the country jumped by 610 percent, from 3.83 in 2014 to 27.70 in 2016, while fixed or wired broadband subscriptions registered a 945-percent increase in the last two years, from 2.22 in 2014 to 23.22 in 2016.

The agency also noted a 4.42-percent rise in mobile cellular telephone subscriptions, from 106.51 in 2014 to 111.22 in 2016 but to the detriment of fixed telephone subscriptions, which decreased by 24 percent from 4.07 in 2014 to 3.09 in the same period.

Meanwhile, Internet users in the Philippines rose by 9.52 percent, from 36.24 in 2014 to 39.69 percent in 2016, or an increase of 9.52 percent.

A UN report earlier found that e-government is an effective tool for facilitating integrated policies and public service by promoting accountable and transparent institutions, such as through open data and participatory decision-making.

Source: www.mb.com.ph