Baguio City, Philippines – Baguio City is testing an AI-powered online tool that helps businesses check whether a proposed venture complies with local zoning rules. The tool, called BIZ Checker, was developed with support from PLDT and Smart’s AI-in-a-Box programme.
BIZ Checker lets applicants determine whether a proposed establishment is allowed in a particular location, based on the city’s zoning classifications and requirements. It also includes Rolly Bot, a chatbot that draws on government documents and data to provide information to users.
“Using the platform, the client or the applicant can see if their business is appropriate for that site,” said Roland Bautista, Senior Project Evaluation Officer of the Baguio City Planning, Development and Sustainability Office.
The tool targets a common problem in the permitting process. Applicants sometimes discover only after approaching the city that their documents are incomplete or that their proposed establishment is not permitted in their chosen location.
During the pilot, Bautista said, even some people who were less familiar with technology were able to use the system through their phones.
“Some of them are non-techie, but when it comes to gadgets, even a few 60-year-olds are learning to use their phones to access the solution,” he said.
Testing also helped the city identify areas that still need refinement. Bryan Sombilon, Senior Project Technical Specialist of the Baguio City Planning, Development and Sustainability Office, said the team encountered additional permits and requirements that needed to be accounted for.
“We have to account for businesses that will be operating on government-owned properties. These are situations we encountered during the pilot, and now we know they also need to be reflected in the system,” he said.
The system must also keep pace with regulatory change, as the city is reviewing its zoning rules. Bautista said the update will cover older regulations.
“The city is updating some ordinances that date back to the 1990s to make them more relevant to current needs,” Bautista said. “When the new zoning ordinance is finished, we will put it into the system and update it.”
Meanwhile, the team regularly reviews the system and makes corresponding changes when regulations or requirements evolve.
For Sombilon, keeping the technology aligned with actual government processes is just as important as developing the tool itself. The team is looking at how to incorporate it into the city’s operations and sustain it over time.
“We need to institutionalize the system and integrate it into the government process. We need to plan for its sustainability, budgeting, and how it will be maintained as well,” he said.
The tool emerged from a three-month AI mentorship and acceleration programme under AI-in-a-Box, which selected Baguio City staff completed earlier this year. PLDT describes AI-in-a-Box as a Group initiative that combines digital tools, connectivity and training to help organisations and local governments apply emerging technologies.
Earlier this year, PLDT and Smart, with support from PLDT Smart Foundation, Lenovo Philippines and Microsoft, provided the Baguio City government with an AI access kit. The kit includes a laptop, a smartphone, a connectivity device and premium access to AI tools.
“Technology for good means using innovation to address real needs in our communities,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart. “Through AI-in-a-Box, PLDT and Smart are working with local government units not only to provide access to AI, but also to build their capacity to develop practical solutions. We hope these efforts can help local government units (LGUs) make public services more responsive and meaningful for the people they serve.”
The mentorship also shaped how the Baguio team approached the solution. It pushed staff to look beyond the technology and better understand the people who would use it.
“We were guided in terms of knowing more about our target audience, like their personas,” Sombilon said. “It’s really important when we craft the solution to know the personas of the target audience that we want to cater to.”
The team hopes the technology can eventually make the permitting process more seamless, while keeping human support available for applicants who need further explanation.
“Rolly Bot is there, but of course, we are always around to offer our services to Baguio City residents, especially those who prefer face-to-face interaction,” Bautista said.
Sombilon said the project shows how AI can serve a specific government service by using existing data and documents to make information more accessible to constituents.
“AI can really help make government processes easier,” he said. “We provide the system with data and documents from the government, allowing it to learn from the information we have and provide more accurate answers to constituents.”
Baguio City is one of four local government units in the AI-in-a-Box mentorship programme. Cebu City, Cabanatuan City and the province of Lanao del Sur are also developing AI-powered tools to improve public service delivery.
