Recognizing the potential of maximizing the benefits of information technology, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has started to put into operation the Unified Information and Communication System (UNICS) that would effectively support the transparent and efficient capture and faster processing of grievances related to program implementation.
UNICS is a centralized mechanism that will capture and consolidate grievances towards the program from the different modes of filing grievance such as thru grievance forms, personal interviews, snail mails, reports, calls, emails, text messages and networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. A centralized helpdesk would be in place to effectively manage cases captured from these modes. A notification to the concerned grievance officer shall also be sent thru this System so that grievances shall be provided with resolutions based on prescribed timeline.
With this new system, fast and reliable transmission of grievances and corresponding resolutions may be achieved, as well as the active participation of household/family beneficiaries including the general public in the identification, transmission and resolution of grievances related to program implementation. Most importantly, a hastened change management process with the maximized participation of officials and employees on the grievance process thru this System can also be expected.
“The UNICS provides real-time capture of grievances and accurate data for faster responses,” said Mr. Rommel C. Millora, GRS Focal Person. “It also provides centralized communication and coordination between Grievance Officers in the regions and in the NPMO and automatic report encoding that would offer better and faster service to our program beneficiaries.”
The Pantawid Pamilya National Project Management Office (NPMO) conducted the training of 11 Deputy Program Managers, 3 Regional Program Coordinators, 17 Regional Grievance Officers and 61 Provincial Grievance Officers on the effective implementation of the UNICS last January 23-27, 2012.
The five-day training, initiated by the NPMO-Grievance Redress Division in cooperation with the DSWD-Management Information Systems Service and the winning consulting firm for this venture, NextIX, presented the UNICS features and conducted a system walk-through on said system.
The training participants underwent hands-on training and simulation exercises on the operation of UNICS. Different roles, functions and procedures were also discussed with regard to the implementation of said system.
“UNICS is a great development in terms of capturing grievances,” shared Mr. John Joseph Cordova, Region 6 Regional Grievance Officer. “The system solves consolidation issues we had in the past plus it makes the aging of cases visible and easier to monitor.”
Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the education and health of children age 0-14 years old. To date, around 2.3 million households are enrolled in the program. Pantawid Pamilya targets to cover additional 700,000 households to complete the 3 million households by end of 2012.
The Grievance Redress System facilitates due process in addressing and resolving complaints related to program implementation.