In the past, the only way that CSC RO V could disseminate information was through print media, radio, or text messages.  It was a challenge to get the message across easily and accurately.

Along came the CSC website, csc.gov.ph.  It was a huge step forward, but it still couldn't cater to the region's local needs.  Information had to be relayed to the web administrator at the Central Office and there was an inevitable delay between sending the data for publishing and the actual online publishing.  Something had to be done in order to bring timely updates to our local stakeholders.

On January 2012, Ms. Zarah Z. Arroyo, then assigned to the Public Assistance and Liaison Division (PALD), thought of using a blog as a means of reaching out to the public.  After selecting the best platform to be used, as well as going through a bit of a learning curve, a beta site was developed on February 2012 for the approval of CSC RO V Regional Director Cecilia R. Nieto.  After going through the initial setup as well as population of the first articles, the site was finally approved for launch on June 2012.

Thus, cscro5.wordpress.com was born.  

In the span of 48 months since the site went live, it has undergone changes in order to deliver new features to cater to our clients, both internal and external.  In June of 2013, the first version of the Online Bulletin of Vacant Positions was launched, making it easier for people to check on the different vacancies available within the region, this is the second most viewed page of the site, second only to the home page, of course.  

 

In 2014, the Online Registration for Trainings was incorporated in order to make it easier for participants from the far-flung provinces to confirm their attendance to the scheduled trainings.  The Online Exam Room Inquiry system was added next to assist in the online notice of school assignment offered by the Central Office website, making it easier for examinees to know their room assignment without having to go to the Field Offices or the Regional Office.    

In 2015, a controlled-access page was added in order to give CSC RO V employees access to several internal web-applications such as the Online Compensatory Overtime Credits tracking as well as Online Projects, Programs, and Activities Posting (per COA Circular 2013-004), Online Leave Tracking System, and the CSC RO V Scanned Monthly Attendance and Uniform Monitoring Sheet, among others.  Social Media integration was also added such that any post made in the website was automatically reflected in the social media account of the office.

In 2016, the CSC RO V Online Recruitment for Excellence (CORE) was launched through the website.  Applicants are now able to apply for published vacant positions in the CSC Regional Office.  The online CSE-PPT Application System was also launched in this year, aiming to reduce, if not eliminate, the typographical errors encountered when encoding applications filled out illegibly.

Since then, site traffic increased from 351 views in June 2012 to as high as 37,799 in February 2016, or more than 10,000% increase in site visits.

Along came the Integrated Government Philippines Project (iGovPhil), a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology's Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) and Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), all government websites were prescribed to have a uniform look and as such, the Government Website Template was developed.  CSC's Integrated Records Management Office - Information Technology Division (IRMO-ITD), headed by its Chief, Mr. Mamerto 'Jhun' Monses, Jr., developed the template further to incorporate the CSC brand into it.

In November of 2014, IRMO-ITD gathered IT Focal persons from all of the CSC Regional Offices to undergo an orientation and training on the development and administration of the new CSC website.   CSC RO V sent two of its IT staff, Mr. Michael Karlo C. Perlora and Mr. Eric Albert M. Arroyo to the said training.  The two were designated as Regional Web Administrators for CSC RO V upon training completion and were given the unenviable task of developing the Regional Website, migrating the relevant data from the WordPress site to the new site, as well as training the division focal persons responsible for updating the site with relevant news and advisories.

Site migration was not done immediately, however, as the official site suffered from connectivity issues, mainly speed.   Site development and migration were thus deferred until the issue was finally addressed.

Now, with the new website, ro5.csc.gov.ph, CSC RO V will be able to bring more online services to its clients.  New features and capabilities brought about by the new framework will surely raise the bar from customer satisfaction to customer delight as we usher in a new era in terms of reaching out to our clients via the power of the World Wide Web.