Makati gov't claims iPad boosts council's productivity

Published November 18, 2011 4:40pm

Makati City has credited Apple Inc.'s iPad 2 tablets, which the city acquired as part of its paperless program, for a boost in the city council's productivity.

With the iPad 2, council members can take notes and use a dictionary app with legal terminologies to help them in their legislative functions.

City Councilor Arnold Magpantay said the program allowed communication to be sent directly to council members without the documents being received by the office staff of the councilors.

“The councilors can receive the session agenda, minutes of meetings and other documents from the different committees and offices any time and wherever they are,” he said in an article on the city web portal.

He added the process has informed the council members on important issues faster than when paper was used.

"It has made us do our work immediately and efficiently, and more easily, too,” he said.

Magpantay said council members are envisioned in the future to participate in the sessions even if not physically present, provided that a quorum has been attained for those physically present in the sessions.

On the other hand, City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. said the paperless program that his father and Vice President Jejomar Binay started in 2007, also helps save the environment.

“Numerous trees are cut in different countries, including the Philippines, to meet the demand for paper by institutions and organizations, and logging has been done more rapidly than the replacement of trees,” the mayor said.

Binay said floods, landslides and irregular weather patterns are aggravated by the cutting of trees.

With the paperless program, he said Makati City has been able to “lessen the pressure exerted by humans upon the environment.”

Also, the city said the paperless program has greatly lessened the use of paper in documentation and transmission of information among the members of the City Council, while facilitating communication among them. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: apple, appleipad, makati, makaticity