Cebu City Advances P10.25-Million Digital Complaint System for Enhanced Public Service
The Cebu City Government is championing a significant upgrade to its public service infrastructure with a proposed P10.25-million Citizen Action Center (CAC). This ambitious project aims to revolutionize how citizens lodge complaints, submit service requests, and provide feedback by consolidating all reporting channels into a single, efficient digital platform.
Unifying Fragmented Reporting Channels
Currently, the City receives reports through a variety of disconnected methods, including hotlines, social media platforms, emails, and in-person walk-in complaints. The new CAC will integrate these disparate channels into a unified, AI-enabled system that allows residents to track the status of their concerns in real time. This move is designed to eliminate confusion and streamline the complaint process.
City Councilor Edgardo "Jaypee" Labella, chairman of the committee on information and communications technology (ICT), spearheaded the resolution during the regular session on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Labella emphasized the necessity of modernizing frontline services to align with existing digital initiatives, such as the ePayment Ordinance.
"This is an online platform where you can report. You won’t have to ask where to lodge a complaint, and you will see updates and if your complaint has been resolved," Labella explained, highlighting the platform's user-friendly approach.
Implementation and Technical Oversight
The Office of the Mayor will serve as the overall implementing office for the CAC project, while technical oversight is assigned to the Management Information and Computer Services (Mics) department. Mics will be responsible for drafting technical specifications, conducting thorough system and security evaluations, and ensuring compliance with national ICT standards.
Funded under the Office of the Mayor, the CAC is engineered to automatically route complaints to the appropriate departments, monitor response times through service-level agreements, and generate comprehensive dashboards. These dashboards will enable City officials to track unresolved and recurring issues effectively, fostering greater accountability.
Compliance with National Regulations
The system is specifically designed to improve compliance with Republic Act (RA) 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act. This legislation mandates faster processing times and enhanced transparency in government transactions, goals that the CAC aims to support through its digital framework.
Under the resolution, citizens will receive digital ticket numbers for each report filed through the platform, which will be accessible via web and mobile devices. Additionally, chatbot-supported channels, such as Facebook Messenger, will be integrated to facilitate communication. The system is expected to support multiple languages and operate 24/7, ensuring broad accessibility.
Technical Specifications and Integration
The CAC will be a cloud-based platform with a target uptime of 99.5 percent and the capacity to handle more than 100,000 concurrent users. Implementation is scheduled over a 24-week period, encompassing development, testing, and deployment phases, and will include a three-year warranty for sustained performance.
In a related development, the CAC will be integrated with a separate P5.3-million upgrade of the Cebu City Government web portal, also sponsored through the City Council. Mics is listed as the implementing office for this web portal project, which is funded under the 2024 budget.
Web Portal Enhancement as Digital City Hall
The web portal upgrade will serve as the City's primary online gateway for information and e-services. It will feature a centralized content management system, transparency sections for procurement and budget disclosures, and accessibility improvements aligned with national e-governance and web accessibility standards.
"The web portal is the online version of City Hall," Labella noted, adding that the portal will include all services, forms, announcements, schedules, and even payment gateways. It will be designed to be user-friendly and accessible through mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers.
Mics will also oversee cybersecurity safeguards and ensure compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173), protecting citizen data throughout the digital transformation.
Future Outlook and Challenges
Labella expressed optimism that these initiatives will streamline service delivery and improve accountability within the City Government. However, he acknowledged that the effectiveness of the systems will depend on sustained funding, strict enforcement of response deadlines, and consistent compliance by all City departments.
This comprehensive digital overhaul represents a significant step forward in Cebu City's commitment to enhancing public service through technology, aiming to create a more responsive and transparent local government for its residents.
