Davao City has achieved national recognition for its groundbreaking transition to digital records management, marking the second major award this year for its innovative system.
National Honors for Digital Excellence
The City Archives and Records Office (Caro) received a special citation from the Development Academy of the Philippines in the 2025 Productivity Challenge, Paper Less: 1 Million Sheets of Paper Served on November 11, 2025. This prestigious award acknowledges the city's pioneering digital system that has dramatically reduced paper consumption while enhancing operational efficiency across government offices.
Earlier this year, the City Records Management System (CRMS) also earned the Digital Governance Excellence Award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), cementing its status as a model for local government modernization.
Transformative Environmental and Economic Impact
Since its initial launch in 2018 through collaboration with the City Information Technology Center (CITC), the CRMS has processed an impressive 8,728,713 pages digitally. According to Caro head Mary Grace Nabong, this achievement translates to saving approximately 1,091.09 trees from being cut down.
The environmental benefits extend far beyond forest conservation. The system has conserved 261.86 kiloliters of water and generated enough energy to power more than 2,000 households for a day. Economically, the city has saved a remarkable ₱51,673,980.96 in printing costs, funds that can now be redirected to vital public services.
Enhanced Public Service Delivery
The CRMS has revolutionized how both government staff and citizens handle records. Users can now submit, track, and manage documents without printing a single page. The system includes comprehensive step-by-step guides to help navigate the digital platform efficiently.
Nabong emphasized that the awards validate Caro's success in replacing manual methods with a digital system that improves efficiency while supporting environmental sustainability. "The awards prove that our initiative is working and that they can really support our objectives on less paper records management and increased productivity when it comes to filing and searching," she stated.
She encouraged Dabawenyos to support the city government's digitalization efforts, noting that "it will enhance productivity, we will save time and money, of course. The transaction by the public is also easier when we support digital innovations."
The CRMS stands as a powerful example of how digital innovation can simultaneously drive operational excellence and environmental responsibility as Davao continues to modernize its public services for the benefit of all citizens.
