City's website wins web design contest

The Cebu City government website (www.cebucity.gov.ph) won the Best Website award in the LGU/e-governance category of the recently concluded 6th Cebu Web Awards.

The city received P15,000 cash prize and a trophy during the awarding rites held at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel in Lahug last month.

The web design contest, sponsored by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was one of the highlights of the 2006 Cebu Business Month celebration.

Website project manager Ma. Wilma Entera, as posted in the city's winning website yesterday, said the award was unexpected. "We are overwhelmed. This goes to show that hard work and perseverance will make things possible that despite all odds, we succeeded," she said.

Entera, a member of the mayor's management team, further said, "The award is a jumpstart to more projects to improve better the services of the city government."

The website provides information about the city government, its services, programs and activities, and new features such as Content Management System, On-line Forum, Local and Overseas Jobs On-line, Guest Book and GIS Application for Business Locator, among others.

The website was initially launched in 2002 and ran in static form. Then Entera and Ric Angelli Chan, also of the mayor's management team, submitted to Mayor Tomas Osmeña a proposal to improve the website's content and features.

Inputs from city officials and MMT members were later incorporated in the redesigned website template. Last February 23, the new website was launched at the Ayala Center Cebu.

Website developer and administrator Chester Anthony Corciega, a MMT member also, said that the result was a stage-3 type website with interactive elements, specialized databases and access to downloadable forms.

Entera had fought for the inclusion of CMS, a system used to organize and facilitate updates of documents and other programs from among all city departments and offices. - Garry B. Lao