Tarlac State University, through the College of Computer Studies, renewed its partnership with the local government of Gerona for Project ATAG to develop ICT capacity and improve its service to its stakeholders and clients on Monday (June 15) at the Gerona municipal hall.
The project titled, “Advancing Technology, Advancing Governance (ATAG): Gerona LGU and CCS Partner for ICT Governance and Development”, which started on April 28, 2023, aims to foster digitization, digital transformation of processes, training for technology usage, and to develop a system for monitoring and evaluating the components' success.
For the past three years, TSU CCS was able to produce a proposed network design of the municipal building and configure and set up its server and firewall. They were also able to establish a Management Information System Office for the LGU.
"We've seen the importance. If we want to promote good governance, not only good governance but advance good governance, then we should involve technology in our processes in our systems," Hon. May Eclar, Municipal Mayor of Gerona, said in her speech.
"We are living in a world which is volatile, ambiguous, complex, uncertain in this disruptive world, so that's why we have to really embrace governance,” TSU President Jasper Jay Mendoza responded.
Moreover, the municipal employees underwent training in areas such as computer hardware overview, preventive maintenance, software maintenance, basic troubleshooting techniques, and troubleshooting network connections as well as digital productivity training in Canva and Microsoft Office.
According to the Vice President for Administration and the ATAG overall project coordinator, Dr. Marlon Gamido, they are being guided by the following components: Training and Education, Operations and Processes, Network and Hardware, Information Systems, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
"We also had our basic computer maintenance and troubleshooting skills development. This is part of our capacity building to [empower] our people para po maalam sila sa paggamit ng mga systems natin and even our procedures," Dr. Gamido said during the presentation of their accomplishments.
In 2024, he turned over a data cabinet to the employees of Gerona LGU, who benchmarked six offices in TSU. This can be used for networking and computing equipment.
Mayor Eclar also shared they are open to another partnership to institutionalize the Gerona Community College.
Other officials present during the signing of the memorandum of agreement are Dr. Nino Corpuz, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Extension; Engr. Emir Lenard Sicangco, Office of University Extension Services Director and Office of Planning Director, CCS OIC-Dean Jerome Legaspi, and faculty from the College of Computer Studies.
Photo by: Mr. Eduardo F. Laxamana, Jr.
