Listed technology company Xurpas, Inc. has seen big potential in offering its services to national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs), especially with the Marcos administration’s push to digitize government services.

Xurpas chief executive officer Joey Gurango said there is a big demand from the public sector to get on board digitalization and use artificial intelligence (AI) when transacting with the public.

“As part of our strategic initiative for this year, we have decided to put as one of our two top target markets both the national government agencies (NGAs), which we’ll be working with, and also the local government units (LGUs). So, we’ve made a strategic decision that those two areas, which are all public sector, be a focus for us to assist in getting into AI,” Gurango said at a press briefing in Taguig City Thursday.

He said the company is currently dealing with five NGAs and LGUs, helping them in their digital transformation and helping them use AI for public services.

Among LGUs, most of the services that they transfer digitally are constituent-facing functions, while NGAs require improving their systems.

Gurango said that with the strong push of the current administration to go digital, the government should be the first to adopt these technologies and innovations.

“The government is trying to lead us into this new age. Unfortunately, our government itself is not a leader when it comes to AI, as a matter of fact,” Gurango said. “They need to be the models for us right now.”

He added NGAs and LGUs should look into outsourcing their digitization requirements to reputable technology companies.

Earlier, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) reported that only 19 LGUs across the country have already fully complied with the electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS). Some 611 have partially complied with the system.

Over 1,000 LGUs have not yet implemented an eBOSS scheme. (PNA)