Stories tagged
‘bulacan’

Despite e-governance, transparency eludes Bulacan

by Avigail M. Olarte

WHEN ONE speaks of e-governance, Bulacan always comes to mind. In fact, its “paperless bureaucracy” is so celebrated that even other countries have sought to replicate it.

It all began 10 years ago, with six computers, and 10 employees with computer skills. Now Bulacan has 12 servers, 299 computers, with 251 units connected to the local area network, and almost everyone has undergone computer training. It also has an entire department devoted to its system-wide, e-based information system.

Read more… | Posted Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Reforms, relatives, and Bulacan’s governor

by Avigail M. Olarte

THE GRINNING woman onstage hardly resembled the tough, fearless governor everyone describes her to be. But then this was two days before her 49th birthday, and she was on the last leg of a month-long “Thanksgiving Caravan.” Besides, she had good news to tell the hundreds of mothers packed in a public school gym that day: Bulacan was about to have its very first call center, which would ensure 6,000 jobs for the province’s residents in the next two years.

Read more… | Posted Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Up to 70% of local healthcare funds lost to corruption

by Avigail M. Olarte and Yvonne T. Chua

THE YOUNG mother was frantic. A seven-month-old baby was burning with fever in her arms, barely able to breathe. The doctor at the rural health unit quickly attended to the child, who was suffering from serious respiratory tract infection. But she had no medicine to give the baby: her supply of Ventolin or salbutamol, which would have given the infant instant relief, had run out.

Read more… | Posted Monday, May 2nd, 2005