NSO certificates, passport appointments, OEC made convenient with Pilipinas Teleserv

Getting birth, marriage, and death certificates has become that much easier these days with service companies that allow you to order these online. One service which I have been using for years when getting these types of certificates has been Pilipinas Teleserv. I've used them to order up birth certificates for everyone in my family several times. With 4 kids, we've had to present birth certificates when enrolling them in schools, for travel abroad, and for passport application.

The best experience I had with Pilipinas Teleserv was some years back when my passport and that of my 2 boys had to be renewed. Teleserv processed our information, picked up our passports, and assisted us at the DFA so efficiently that we were in and out in just 15 minutes tops!

Pilipinas Teleserv recently hosted a brunch for some bloggers with someone from the National Statistics Office (NSO) as resource person. We got to learn more about the OTHER services of Teleserv as well as ask questions of the NSO person.

Current services of Pilipinas Teleserv

NSO Certificates

NSO issues various certificates on security paper: birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, and Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR). Their hotline is open 24/7, even on holidays. And their coverage is nationwide.

Birth certificate on NSO security paper

Process for getting an NSO certificate

There are more payment modes now, including BancNet ATMs, online banking facilities and credit cards via an online payment channel. Teleserv says the online payment facility is compliant with the PCI-DSS' strict certifications to ensure it is safe and secure.

Metro Manila Traffic Navigator launches - with more to come

Last August 1, 2011, the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator (a web-based, real-time traffic situationer) was formally introduced to the riding public by executives from both the MMDA and TV5 present, as well as media and bloggers. When I last blogged about the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator last June 29, the first day its beta version was opened to the public, I was delighted to find the page so easy to read, clean and as real-time as you can get (with updates every 5 to 15 minutes).

The Traffic Navigator was a personal savior for me. While MMDA was already doing a good job of announcing traffic situations in the Metro via their Twitter account, it was still difficult to filter the timeline. For example, in the case of Tropical Storm Falcon, I was attending a despedida for a friend and it was raining cats and dogs outside. I went online before going home and checked MMDA's Twitter timeline to see if the route I was taking was going to be flooded. I did find out but not after some amount of scrolling through the timeline searching for the tweet specific to what I needed.

With the Traffic Navigator, you get a visual image of the initial 6 lines that are up (EDSA, Quezon Avenue, Espana, C5, Roxas Blvd and SLEX), the various points along each line and the traffic situation in any of 3 colors - red, yellow and green. Just on the homepage alone, it's easy to check the red (heavy traffic) points and make plans for an alternate route. The Traffic Navigator has a system view, line view, and a Google Map view so you get the situation from a macro or micro level.

At the formal launch, MMDA Chairman, Atty. Francis Tolentino; TV5's Chief of News and Information Division, Ms. Luchi Valdes;  and TV5 Interaksyon.com's editor-in-chief, Mr. Roby Alampay, talked about how the idea of Traffic Navigator was born and what they hoped it would achieve in terms of upping public service levels. MMDA's Yves Gonzalez also explained how the app was being updated to reflect real-time traffic situations. Since it began operations, about 6,000 drivers and commuters have already consulted the Traffic Navigator.

MMDA + Interaksyon 5 = Metro Manila Traffic Navigator

(UPDATE: Read my newer post, featuring the Traffic Navigator during its public launch, by clicking HERE.)

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has been getting a lot of praise as one of the government agencies that has been in the social media forefront, rendering public service via Twitter and Facebook. Now, they've levelled up once more! Partnering with Interaksyon (TV5), they have created a web-based, real-time Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.

When you go to the homepage, you are presented with the System View. At first glance, it reminds me of a subway map but it covers the major thoroughfares where the MMDA cameras (I presume) are located.

Using the red, green, yellow colors to signify heavy, moderate and light traffic, you can see at a glance where traffic is bad and where it is okay.

To get greater detail, you can also choose the Line View. In this view you can select any of several lines: EDSA, Quezon Ave., Espana, C5, Roxas Blvd, or SLEX. In this screencap, I had chosen EDSA and was presented with several streets intersecting with EDSA and their color-coded traffic status.

And when you click the Google Map icon on the extreme right of each street, this is what you see (in this case, I chose Quezon Ave.):

The website is interactive. At almost any page view, you have the chance to share the info via Facebook and Twitter as well as chat interactively with MMDA. You don't need to open Twitter or Facebook as a separate window or tab anymore. 

I was told that updates to the website are done every 15 to 30 minutes. That's not bad at all!

At the height of Tropical Storm Falcon, I was out of the house attending a despedida. Following the tweets of MMDA then helped me plan my route home. But this is one-up over the MMDA tweets. Why? Because if you want to check the status of EDSA-Shaw Boulevard, like I wanted to, it took a while to scroll through all the MMDA tweets to find one that reported on EDSA-Shaw. But with a visual map like this one, you can immediately check the EDSA line view and see the status of Shaw Blvd. there.

In the works also is the mobile app version of this so that it is easier for those with mobile phones to use the application.

The website is still in beta (as it says in the logo) and I think that's because some links are not yet working. For example, I clicked on their About, FAQ and Contact Us links and was directed to the System View page. Looks like those links are still under construction.

Try it out now and see for yourselves. If you love MMDA already, you'll love them even more after this. And thanks to Interaksyon TV5 for making this possible.

To go to Metro Manila Traffic Navigator, click HERE.

Meralco: Innovating to Empower

Who ever thought utilities could ever be exciting? 

During my corporate life years back, discussions about electricity had always been a little over my head although for a while, I was knee-deep in power discussions (financial and legal) because my employer had a joint venture with an American power company to put up a diesel power plant on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement and I was one of those in the front line. When people discussed the computations to arrive at the charge to consumers per kilowatt hour, I tended to tune out often. Talking electricity was not exactly the most exciting topic I could think of.

But a few days ago, a handful of us bloggers were invited to come see how Meralco was innovating, using available technology to empower its consumers and shape a world-class standard of living. We got a glimpse of what they are looking into to employ digital technology and incorporate it into home living.

As a consumer of electricity, walk through these possibilities with me and see which ones you'd like to see Meralco introduce soon to your home.

Innovation #1: Meralco's Current Distribution Automation

Think of this situation. A power outage suddenly occurs somewhere in Meralco's web of grids. In real-time, using information on their screen, they are able to pinpoint the source of the outage, shut down that malfunctioning grid, and even re-route power, if needed. The red and green icons on the screen reflect where the grids are closed or open. With these equipment, Meralco can monitor and control distribution systems from remote locations, including the overall health of the electric grid. All in real time.

They are now looking into other innovations that may be introduced to consumers. These innovations try to take advantage of existing and developing technologies to empower the consumer to manage his own energy consumption by making this information accessible even when the consumer is away from home.
I know that in North America, in particular, many green homes are already equipped with these technologies. Let's take a look at some innovations.