The Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), in partnership with AI4GOV, hosted a training activity entitled “Barangay Data Literacy towards Transition to Full Devolution,” which ran from August 31 to September 1, 2022 via Zoom.

A select group of barangay officials, addressed in the activity as “Data Champions,” drawn from the 17 LGUs of the NCR, constituted the first batch of participants in the pilot training activity, the purpose of which is to foster an understanding of how data analytics can be used to further advance the quality and aptness of services that Barangays deliver to its constituents.

For Barangays, data literacy and analytics are about processing, evaluating, and analyzing the raw data already available to the Officials in the form of the Registry of Barangay Inhabitants (RBI), a database of Barangay residents with their corresponding contact, demographic, and other relevant information. Applying data analytics to extract useful, actionable, and relevant information from RBIs is a significant step toward promoting good local governance.

DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III, said as much when she addressed the Data Champions, “…as leaders, understanding the conceptual foundation of data literacy and data analytics is the first step toward using it to make sound decisions for the advancement of your barangay.”

AI4GOV, DILG-NCR’s partner in the training activity, covered topics such as Data Fundamentals, Data Gathering and Research Methods, Data Mining Techniques and Applications, and Data-informed Decision-making and Storytelling. They also introduced the idea of using chatbots to facilitate the barangay’s day-to-day operations.

AI4GOV also presented techniques that will allow the Barangay officials to gain deeper insights into their constituents by applying the learning gained from the training and using it to process the wealth of information contained in the RBI.

Assistant Regional Director Ana Lyn R. Baltazar-Cortez, CESO V, closed the activity with a message, “… let us all pledge to build from now on the data-driven, IT-enabled local government that is responsive, efficient, and infinitely more accessible than ever before. Local autonomy and e-government are, after all, the wave of the future.”

AI4Gov is an organization involved in providing Artificial Intelligence (AI) – powered solutions for public service and citizen engagement. It combines technology and participatory governance to create new solutions aimed at making government more efficient, accessible, and responsive to the needs of the citizens it serves.#