RMO No. 33-2021 — Prescribes the improved policies, guidelines and procedures in the maintenance and operation of eLounge facilities in Revenue District Offices Digest | Full Text | Annexes

RXPUBLIC OF TI{E PHILIPPINES 0Fl RNAL REVENNUUE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE ffi}[n BUREAU OF INTBRNAL REVBNUE VISIONN October 29,2OZt &- RE,ENUE MEM.RANDUM ,RDER *o. ?021 SUBJECT : Improved Policies, Guidelines and Procedures in the Maintenance and Operation of eLounge Facilities in Revenue District Offices TO : All Revenue District Officers (RDOs), Revenue Data Center (RDC) Heads, Client Suppoft Section (CSS) Chiefs, Other Revenue Officials, Employees and Others Concerned I. BACKGROUND - - The elounges were first established in Revenue Region Nos, 6 Manila, 7 Quezon City and B - Makati in 2004 to encourage taxpayers, particularly those who have no internet facilities, to use the Bureaub online services by rendering them the technical facility they need. However, despite the establishment of the said eLounges, maximum utilization thereof has not been achieved due to their inaccessibility to registered taxpayers who transact business at the Revenue District Offices (RDOs). Hence, the pureau started the establishment of elounges in RDOs and the transfer of Regional elounges to the RDOs pursuant to RMO NO. 13-2015 issued on July 13, 20t5. The elounges were fully established in all RDOs nationwide in February 2020. With the ongoing expansion of the Bureau's electronic services (eServices) under its Digital Transformation Program, ensuring efficient maintenance and full utilization of elounges is becoming more critical. II. OBJECTIVES This Order is issued to: 1. Improve the taxpayer seryice through more efficient maintenance and full utilization 2.-- of"elroungesi- Encourage taxpayers to appreciate and use the various eServices being offered by the Bureau; and \F, Page L of 7

3. Update/improve the policies, guidelines and procedures in the maintenance and operation of elounge facilities prescribed in RMO No. 13-2015. III. POLICIES and GUIDELINES The following shall be observed in the maintenance and operation of elounge facilities in the RDOs: A. Maintenance of eLounge 1. The elounge facility shall provide taxpayers with free access to BIR eServices; 2. Shortcuts/desktop icons shall be created for taxpayers to easily access the following: . . BIR eSeruices . BIR Citizen's Charter . eFOI Poftal . BIR website home page . BIR eComplaint System BIR Online Customer Satisfaction Survey 3, The Client Support Section shall be responsible in maintaining their respective elounge. 4. The elounge shall be strategically placed at or near the Client Service Area. It must be well lighted and with a good ventilation 5. For the sustainability of eLounge operations, the RDO shall allocate sufficient funds for Broadband Internet subscription from a third-pafi Internet Service Provider (ISP), office supplies, and materials through their regular funds. 6. Below are the technical specifications required for the Broadband Internet Subscription: Unlimited Broadband Internet Connection or Access with at least 20 Mbps DSL Internet Service In areas where there are no ISP that can meet the above sperlf[caliorys, the RDOTias ttie option io rina inv aviir;bta isp ahii Cin provide them the better internet connection, /ENUE ' Page 2 of7 []t 6'.,-rRiS MBT. DlVi rr,)N

7. The elounge shall be part of the "queuing system" in support of the RDO's mandate to provide fast and accurate frontline service to BIR clients. B. A stand-alone electronic logbook (e-logbook) with prescribed template (in Excel format) Annex A shall be maintained to monitor the number of clients availing the elounge facility and gather valuable data and information relative to elounge utilization. 9, The following requirements shall be maintained: a. Mandatory . Computers with internet connections; . Printer; . elounge Signage . Queuing System . Modular paftition enclosures with table top; . Computer chairs; b. Optional o Lounge sofa; o Lounge table; . Television (to showcase info media production); . Movable printer tables B. Operation of elounge 1. The elounge shall be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm or beyond office hours depending on the client's needs and upon the approval of the head of office (RDO), taking into consideration the requirements of the BIR Citizen's Charter and the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 9485 and M No. 11032 othenarise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government service Delivery Act of 20L8, respectively; 2. No personnel shall install programs or configure the default settings of the computers, unless approved by the concerned Revenue District Officer; and 3. A Systems Restore of the elounge PCs from the previous and most current --Restoration Point shall be used and encouragedat least every'wkto S0staln the maximum peformance of the pCs, HIIH FiFj[iTEFil-nTREVENUE \f' Page3or7 R]

IV. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. The RDO shallr a, Ensure that eFPS and eBIRForms online filers shall be encouraged to utilize the elounge facility in filing their tax returns, paying ttreir taxes, and fulfilling their obligations; b. Ensure that only official transactions are being undertaken in the elounge. All elounge users, BIR personnel or clients, are not allowed to access social, gaming or enteftainment web sites, except sites related to their BIR concerns. Appropriate sanctions (e.9., Revenue Memorandum Order Number 53-2010 - Promulgation and Implementation of the Revised Code of Conduct for BIR officials and employees) shall be imposed on any revenue official or employee who violates the rules and regulations governing the use of the elounge facility and its amenities; c. Ensure that the elounge facility is fully operational and manned by duly- designated personnel; d. Issues and concerns relative to technical upgrade and other IT-related requirements shall be fonruarded in writing, thru the Head of concerned Revenue Data Center; and e, Perform other related functions as may be required. 2. The CSS personnel shall: a. Require the client to register usage of the facility thru the e-logbook (Annex A); b. Power up the elounge facility at the staft of the day and shutdown the said facility at the end of business hours; c. Ensure that all devices such as computers, modems, routers and internet connections are working/functioning properly and ensure office supplies availability for smooth flow of work, The facilities of the PCs and printers and other accessories of elounge shall be the accountability of CSS Chief or designated personnel of CSS. d, Assist clients regarding their concern with BIR e-services e. Ensure that no flash drive (USB) will be used in the elounge PC; f. Monitor the number of clients who use the facility; g. Submit the elounge Utilization Report (Annex B) to the Assistant Commissioner, Client Support Service thru the Pubtic Information and Education Division (PIED) every tenth (10,h) day following the end of each quafter, h, _ Elevate issue/s to concerned offices following the procedures below: h.1 For technical issue/s: INTERNAL REVENUE tt- Page4 or7 i{L' f.)i,. r'rS Mr"i j. l.)tVlSi(.}N

. Log the issue/s to the concerned Revenue Data Center for resolution. h.2 For non-technical issue/s: . Personnel assigned at the elounge shall report issue/s to the CSS . Chief for resolution; and If the issue warrants further elevation, the CSS Ctrief sfrall fonvard the issue/s for resolution to the Revenue District Officer. i. The elounge shall be manned by personnel under the CSS. The Chief, CSS shall ensure the continuous operation of the elounge even in cases of absence of the designated personnel. In cases where CSS has limited personnel, the RDO shall authorize and assign other personnel to man the j. elounge facility; and Peform other related functions as may be required. 3. The Clients/Taxpayers shall: a. Register at the e-logbook and/or manual logbook; b. Use the elounge on a first-come, first-serve basis; c. Use the elounge with due regard to others waiting for their turn. Bookkeepers/Accountants/Tax Practitioners are allowed to file for a maximum of 3 clients only or not exceeding an hour, whichever takes shofter processing time; d. Use the facility for BIR transactions only; e. Print only the Filing Reference Number; f. Extract/copy files from the PC only with the approval of the personnel-in- charge. 4. The RDC shall: a. Assist CSS personnel/clients on technical issues encountered in the elounge. Technical issue/s encountered by CSS personnel shall be logged in to Centerpoint by the RDC Helpdesk Analyst for proper dispatching of Technical Engineer/s to address the said issue/s. If the technical issue/s involve/s a third-pafi intervention, it will be escalated and assigned to the proper authority. Any issue that cannot be resolved shall be logged in the help desk facility for escalation to concerned Problem Resolution Group (PRG) pursuant to RMO No. 4-2018. The PRG shall inform the CSS Chief on the resolution made, Note: Regional rechhical supDot maialso pr-ovide the arid iiiistanCe AU OF INTERNAL RE NUE \tI Page 5 of 7 \] ,. D Rri .: Mi'r l'. ill\riglt.) N

b, Maintain the following requirements: Two (2) user accounts, Admin and Guest/Client for each computer. Admin should have a password that only RDC Technical Support/Regional Technical Suppoft can access; Shared folder in each PC (label each folder from PC 1 to PC 3), which will be directly accessible by the PC of elounge Personnel-In-Charge; Printer directly to the PC of the elounge Personnel-In-Charge & share printer; PDF Writer Application (Freeware - like Cute PDF); Web Browsers with plug-ins to be able to accommodate BIR eServices; Updated Anti-virus software to be peformed by the concerned RDC technical personnel; and Disabled pop-up blocker to be performed by the concerned RDC technical personnel) c. Pefform other related functions as may be required. s. The PIED shall: a. Receive the elounge Utilization Reports from RDOs (Annex B); b, Consolidate the said reports and submit the same (Annex C) to the Client Support Seruice for monitoring on the operation and utilization of the elounge facility; and c. Conduct spot-checking of elounges to ensure its availability for taxpayer's ;:;rm o, other related functions as may be required. 6. The Client Support Seruice shall: a. Receive and evaluate the Consolidated elounge Utilization Report from PIED and perform necessary action V. REPEALING CLAUSE The provisions of all internal revenu e issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby a_4eqded o1 revoked accordingly. ___ _ \f'PageEorT

VI. EFFECTIVIW This Order shall take effect immediately. ffi CAESAR R. DULAY Commissioner of Internal Revenue P' o 4T 4 o o H-1 PageT of7