The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) regulatory services are now made more accessible as its digital systems aptly called ‘Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System’ (HELPS) and ‘Minors Travelling Abroad (MTA) have been integrated into the eGov PH (e-Government Philippines) Application.
According to Director Megan Therese Manahan of the Standards Bureau (SB) that oversees the HELPS, this move will go a long way in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision to harness the power of technology to make government services closer to the reach of Filipinos.
“We are more than pleased to announce this, especially to our clients — our social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs). This is another big step forward in our efforts to ease people’s access to our frontline regulatory services,” Director Manahan said on Thursday (June 5).
The eGov PH is a mobile application that simplifies transactions between the government and the Filipino public.
With the integration of DSWD’s HELPS, SWDAs or better known as foundations and charitable organizations can now apply for their needed permit by accessing the eGov app.
The platform will be catering to the application process for registration, licensing, and accreditation (RLA) of SWDAs, public solicitation permits, as well as the issuance of certifications for duty-exempt importation (DEI) of donated goods.
“Our clients can enjoy the same, streamlined process if they would access the HELPS through the eGov app. For the RLA, they can receive it in as fast as 14 days. As for the public solicitation permit, our SWDAs only have to wait for 7 days after their application, at the maximum,” Director Manahan explained.
The DEI, according to Director Manahan, can be processed in just 1 to 3 days.
Another DSWD service that was integrated into the eGov was the application and issuance of travel permits for minors travelling abroad via the Minors Travelling Abroad (MTA) system.
Asst. Secretary Colico of the DSWD’s Statutory Programs said this is part of the DSWD’s statutory service to ensure that children going abroad are protected from trafficking and other forms of abuse.
Through the platform, parents and guardians can seamlessly apply for their children’s travel permit anytime and anywhere. Applicants who will submit complete and correct documentary requirements can obtain requested travel clearance (TC) online.
“We are very happy that this is happening, because we know that the ultimate yielders of this integration are our kababayans. With the MTA being integrated in the e-Gov, we can take our visibility and accessibility into the next level,” Asst. Secretary Colico pointed out.
Anchored on Marcos administration’s vision to build a connected nation, the eGov PH app integrates the multi-sectoral government through a one-stop online system that will minimize economic cost for the citizens.
The DSWD’s HELPS and MTA are among over 1,000 government systems that have already been linked to the eGov PH app.
The eGov app is available in various digital distribution service, and may be downloaded through the following links:
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=egov.app
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/egovph/id6447682225
App Gallery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/app/C111221319