Need documents from gov’t? Post office ‘Zip Lane’ is waiting

MANILA, Philippines – Acquiring documents from agencies – like National Bureau of Investigation, the Social Security System, PhilHealth, and even the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration – promises to be faster and more efficient in 2018.

A one-stop online government transaction center, based in Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) stations across the country, will be launched.  

Called the “Zip Lane,” the system takes advantage of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), a satellite communications system that will be set up in post offices to allow for internet access even in rural areas. 

These VSATs will allow post offices to communicate with other government agencies and print clearances in under 30 minutes.  

The “Zip Lane” upgrades the connectivity of the post office with other agencies to take care of government transactions and bring down costs for the public. 

“In addition to our mandate to deliver mails and parcels, PHLPost has been given the task to provide services of other government agencies that offers public documents necessary in their day-to-day activities,” Postmaster General Joel Otarra said in a press release Friday, December 8.

Otarra added, “We will upgrade our connectivity in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to better serve the public.”

PHLPost has more than 1,300 post offices and postal stations nationwide, where customers can applying for the goverment documents. Currently, NBI clearance applications are already accepted and printed in select post offices in different parts of the country. – Rappler.com