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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

History of CICT

In the year 2000, needing to streamline the different ICT-related government agencies to provide effective and focused leadership in the implementation of ICT policy, then-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada signed Executive Order No. 264 merging the National Information Technology Council (NITC) and the Electronic Commerce Promotion Council (ECPC) to form ITECC.

When President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took over in January of 2001, she transferred the chairmanship of ITECC to the President of the Republic of the Philippines by signing EO 18, amending EO 264. This move allowed her to oversee the direction of ITECC and ICT development in the country. It also expanded, enhanced, and accelerated ITECC's policy-implementation capabilities and decision-making processes. With this transfer, the ICT industry has been given a champion, someone who is in a position to effect real changes in the industry and the country by putting ICT in the forefront of government priorities and national consciousness like it never has been before.

One of the pressing recommendations of the Council was for the immediate creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). As envisioned, it will effectively coordinate and implement national ICT programs, projects and other related initiatives as a priority of government. Consequently, it was endorsed by ITECC, supported by the private sector and presently under consideration in Congress.

However, in view of other businesses that has to be managed by Congress that prevented the early passage of the DICT bill, coupled by the ITECC recommendation of creating a national body, headed by a Cabinet ranked official, that must be equipped with strong and clearly defined powers, appropriate manpower and resources, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology was created under Executive Order 269 dated January 12, 2004. As a transitory measure, the CICT was not merely advisory in nature, but will have a more active role in streamlining, managing, coordinating, and implementing the various ICT-related plans and policies of government, and will immediately address the urgent need to harmonize and make the country's approach to ICT development more coherent and efficient.

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