DOTr calibrates land transport programs ahead of F2F classes

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With the expected surge in passenger demand in the opening of face-to-face (F2F) classes this year, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is carefully calibrating its existing land transport programs to effectively and efficiently serve the increasing number of commuters.

Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista directed Road Transport and Infrastructure Undersecretary Mark Steven C. Pastor, Railway Undersecretary Cesar Chavez, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Cheloy Garafil to ensure continuous implementation of the Service Contracting Program (SCP), Libreng Sakay Program, and to fast-track the rationalization of public transport routes.

Sec. Bautista also directed the immediate release of P1,000 fuel subsidy to the target 617,806 qualified tricycle driver-beneficiaries as listed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), full deployment of all 550 buses in the EDSA Busway especially during rush hours, and availability of equity subsidy as down payment for the acquisition of modern public utility vehicles (PUVs) under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

The Transport Secretary is scheduling a meeting with the bus consortium operating the EDSA Carousel route and other concerned government agencies to ensure sufficient deployment of buses to accommodate increased passenger demand due to the F2F classes.

“We will coordinate our actions with concerned agencies such as the DepEd, CHED, MMDA, LTO, LTFRB, PNP, AFP-NCR, DILG, IACT and others not under the DOTr,” said Sec. Bautista.

The Secretary added that according to various studies conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a low probability of virus transmission in public transport, so long as strict implementation of health and safety measures are in place and are being followed by the drivers, operators, and commuters. This dispels public apprehension of possible increase in COVID-19 incidence when F2F classes begin.

“We are also looking at accelerating the grant of franchise instead of just permits for buses on critical routes used by students such as Katipunan, Commonwealth, Recto Avenue,” added Sec. Bautista.

ePLDT, ePDS launch enterprise content management solution Doctrieve

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In a virtual event titled Metamorphosis: The Future of Content Management Unfolds, ePDS, ePLDT, and Newgen Software have introduced their newest enterprise content management solution Doctrieve. Several executives from the said companies also shared insights on emerging market trends, the product landscape, and the demand for a cloud-based contextual content services (ECM) platform.

ePDS Inc., together with its parent company ePLDT Inc., and Newgen Software, introduced an enterprise content management solution called ‘Doctrieve’ which helps companies efficiently manage their business documents and assets.

Doctrieve is a software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based content management solution designed to systematically direct the end-to-end lifecycle of business content, from origination to disposition. Likewise, it enables the delivery of documents across different channels, addressing the wide-ranging workflow requirements of organizations.

"Doctrieve is a new solution that will improve how companies manage and process their business assets documents and data. Together with our technology partner Newgen, this solution is a product of our 14 years of expertise and domain knowledge, furthering our thrust to provide companies the ability to adapt to new business challenges," said Guia Bettina Gordon, ePDS Chief Operating Officer and ePLDT Group Head for Treasury.

"Traditional ways of managing content had their disadvantages for an organization in various ways. Leveraging Doctrieve, built on Newgen's Contextual Content Services Platform (ECM), allows business leaders to simplify content-centric processes while infusing context in all engagements. The platform helps streamline the end-to-end lifecycle of enterprise content while providing remote, secure collaboration between stakeholders," said Pramod Kumar, Geography Head and Vice President (APAC), Newgen Software.

Aside from improving efficiency in workflow processes, Doctrieve also promotes sustainable practices in companies as it is an environment-friendly solution that helps minimize carbon footprint compared to using the traditional paper trail.

Moreover, it eliminates the difficulties in maintaining paper documentation such as searchability, secure storage, update method, and costs, among others.

ePLDT hosts Doctrieve in ePLDT Microsoft Azure Cloud and safeguards it through its cybersecurity solutions, ensuring all data and processes stored are digitally safe. This was partnered with Newgen’s three decades of expertise in digital transformation platforms, encompassing process automation, content services, and communication management capabilities.

"Businesses can create a digital workplace without boundaries with anytime-anywhere access to content and documents using Doctrieve. By leveraging this platform, organizations can comprehensively and systematically process their files, from capturing, processing, and storing to extending content for various industry use cases," said Diwar Pasricha, Deputy General Manager, Presales, Newgen Software.

"Collaboration is the heart of enterprise content management. This partnership between ePDS, ePLDT, and Newgen gave birth to a locally hosted solution that offers numerous benefits to businesses. This will help a lot of companies in the Philippines that would want to maximize the advantages of document digitalization," shared Clint Christopher Siao, ePDS Product Marketing Head.

As a subsidiary of ePLDT Inc., ePDS is a client communication managed service provider engaged in document management and digitization, and digital printing.

For more information, visit ePLDT.com. 



About Newgen Software


Newgen is the leading provider of a unified digital transformation platform with native process automation, content services, and communication management capabilities. Globally, successful enterprises rely on Newgen's industry-recognized low code application platform to develop and deploy complex, content-driven, and customer-engaging business applications on the cloud. From onboarding to service requests, lending to underwriting, and for many more use cases across industries. Newgen unlocks simple with speed and agility.



For more details, visit www.newgensoft.com.

UBX, Post Office partner to drive financial, social inclusion towards digitally transformed community financial centers

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The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) has partnered with UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, to launch “Kasama Lahat”, a capacity development project which will transform the country’s premier postal agency into a modern hub that offers financial and data services for everyone in the community.

Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio and UBX President John Januzczak signed the agreement that will transform each post office outlet as community financial centers, promoting financial inclusion, especially in far-flung areas of the country.

“The Post Office Digital Innovation signifies the commitment and support of the Post Office especially under the new administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. in serving the public who deserve no less than the best postal service by global standards’, Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said.

Under the partnership, UBX will provide the necessary technical knowledge in digital finance and open finance to hasten the Post Office’s digital transformation journey. With its ubiquity and reach, the Post Office is well-positioned to provide the customers necessary financial services, through its network in cities and municipalities nationwide.

Through the Bangko sa Barangay Service of UBX, the Post Office will be able to transform thousands of its outlets nationwide into financial hubs, offering various types of services such as disbursements, fund transfers, cash withdrawals, loan applications, payments, insurance, and collections, among others.

The Philippine Post Office has approximately over 1,300 outlets across the country.

“This groundbreaking partnership with the Post Office reflects our strong commitment to include everyone into the country’s financial system. With its reach and data, the Post Office has the power to drive financial and social inclusion through its digital transformation initiative,” UBX President John Januzczak said.

Aside from transforming each postal outlet as community financial centers, the partnership will also empower postmen or letter carriers to become cash agents. They will be trained to provide guidance on how to apply for financial products and services, as well as to supervise the provision of these services.

In the long term, Kasama Lahat aims to establish the Post Office as Open Finance Hubs, which can process data transactions as well, such as validation of customer information for loan applications, asset validation, and even collection or debt restructuring services.

Since it was established in 2019, i2i, an open finance and payments platform, has been connecting institutions, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into the country’s financial ecosystems. Now with thousands of agents and hundreds of financial institutions, it provides fund transfers, bills payments, mobile ATM, insurance, and loan services which anyone can access in various banks and merchant locations nationwide.

Millions of Filipinos have been integrated into digital finance through i2i, paving the way forward to the future of open finance. Its Bangko sa Barangay service, which was launched in July of last year, turned branch networks and agent pools to become financial service providers in their communities capable of providing financial and data transactions.

These services, under Kasama Lahat, aim to transform the Post Office by putting customers to the fore by creating and innovating products and services to meet their demands, shifting the agency to a sustainable business culture, reviewing, and proposing amendments to the Post Office Charter (RA 7354), and overall contributing to social inclusion in the Philippines.

With this partnership, the Post Office will also be able to establish a product line which will establish its financial independence from the budget provisioned by the government, giving the postal agency a more sustainable business culture. The profit margins will also allow it to continue its vision of modernization.

“Our digital transformation journey, powered by UBX, allows us to diversify our services beyond the Filipino people’s postal needs. With our network of over 1,300 outlets and more than 3,500 postmen, we are in a unique position to provide financial services that promote both financial and social inclusion in the country,” Post Office Postmaster General Normal Fulgencio said.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shows that 47 percent of Filipino adults are still unbanked. The government aims to include at least 70 percent of Filipino adults to the country’s financial system by 2023.

“The challenge for both the public and private sectors to drive financial inclusion is daunting and it requires a strong sense of commitment and partnership to achieve this. Our partnership with the Post Office is just an example of meaningful ways to bring financial services closer to Filipinos,” Januszczak said.