As a relatively new leader, Rommel Bundang, barangay captain of Barangay Camacho in Balanga, Bataan, envisions a more technologically–enabled barangay equipped with innovations that create a better place for his constituents to live in. With the help of Vibe BMS, Kapitan Bundang sees this hope slowly realized.

The Vibe Barangay Management System — an all-in-one software system that fully automates barangay processes, project tracking, and service delivery — aims to benefit not just barangays in major cities, or in municipalities like Barangay Camacho.

It also seeks to reach barangays in far-flung areas affected by archipelagic constraints like limited internet connection as Vibe BMS works offline and does not need an internet connection to work.

"The BMS has been a huge help for our barangay, particularly for me as new barangay captain," Bundang said. "Because of the system, data gathering is easier and more organized. One look at the dashboard and I can see how many families we have under the 4Ps program, how many senior citizens and children we have, and who belong to which family. Whenever someone asks if a certain individual is from our barangay, I can easily verify and answer with the help of BMS."

Enabling barangays of the future

The creation of Vibe BMS involved close collaboration between the developers and the barangay captains and workers to ensure that the system fully supported the daily tasks and processes in barangay governance. After months of development and piloting, the system is now ready for deployment to any barangay.

Different features within the BMS help communities with data keeping, organization, and privacy. One feature, the Barangay Justice, allows details about individual cases to be easily and properly encoded to help in tracking and monitoring their progress.

Documentation is also readily provided for court-escalated cases as needed. All this while ensuring that constituent data is kept private. Another feature, the Barangay Management, enables the documentation of all barangay- and LGU-initiated projects, programs, and activities.

Photos and documents can be uploaded and project progress can be tracked, with the goal of providing transparency in governance. The said documentation can also serve as a benchmark for future barangay leaders.

Vibe Technologies, the tech arm of learning tools and innovative solutions provider Vibal Group — with core businesses in systems integration, publishing, printing, and technology solutions for education, government, and private enterprises — aims to contribute to enabling technologically adept communities down to the grassroots.

"The Vibe BMS is a game-changer in barangay management because it is designed to help officials and their offices be efficient, organized, and accountable," said Vibal's Chief Executive Officer Kristine E. Mandigma. "We worked with the barangay officials themselves, so we hope the system will serve them well and this is just the beginning. Ultimately, Vibal's mission is to enable better Philippine education through books and innovative learning materials, and to encourage government transparency through technology."