17 Senators Supports The Department of ICT Bill

Thank you to the 17 Senators who signed the Committee Report No. 53 re-introducing the bill "Creating the Department of information and Communications Technology, defining its powers and functions, appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes."

iSchools Project Helps a Young Girl’s Dream

This was reposted from the original article published under the Unesco site, written by Angelica E. Serrano of Batangas State University (BatSU)

Sixteen-year old Edith Marie Morada Garingan is an incoming college freshman from Bolbok, Lipa City, Batangas.

Despite her small frame, she beams with positivity. Her eyes overflowed with excitement when she knew that she was going to learn new computer skills. She was one of the participants of the National Rollout Training: ICT Literacy Course in Bolbok National High School in Lipa City.

Together with some of her teachers, Edith Marie has taken baby steps towards learning concepts and skills in ICT.

As a student, she says she remains thankful for the opportunity. The training seems very important for her. “I want to learn more about computer because I want to take Computer Science in college,” Edith Marie said.

Others at her age have their applications for college ready.

Edith Marie has for herself a multitude of plans. One among those plans includes finding a job that will help her finance her studies. She will also look for a scholarship in universities and colleges in Lipa City.

Another is to help her parents, Rosemarie and Gerardo, in re-building their eatery. After these, she will take entrance tests. “My aim is to work immediately after college. Perhaps I will go abroad or work in a company here in our country.” Edith Marie admits.

These are her life sketches. Her mind is brimming with plans.

But how can those plans be possible without money?

Meanwhile, Dr. Christopher Chua of Batangas State University, one of the laboratory assistants in the training, has noted Edith Marie’s excellent performance in the training.

“She finished the exercises quickly. At her age, she looks very serious with what she is doing,” Dr. Chua said. In addition to her other plans, Edith Marie wants to apply as student assistant in college. This way, she won’t have any more problems raising money for her tuition fee.

“What I learn from this training will help me adjust with the demands of college life. If ever I will be admitted as a student assistant, I am more confident because I am equipped with computer skills. I am very thankful that the iSchools Project is there,” she said.
Edith Marie is ready for college with all her plans. If all these fail, she says that she will continue to look for other ways to help finance her college. She is undaunted because in her heart lies the dream to improve a lot in life.

Her unflinching commitment to fulfill her goal is rooted in her desire to help herself and her family.

And the iSchools Project, together with its partner state universities, is only too glad to help the likes of Edith Marie.

Joint Statement of MACCII and MCICTC Regarding Executive Order 47

This Joint Resolution entered into this 5th day of August, 2011 by and between:

METRO ANGELES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRIES, INC., a non-profit, non-stock, non-government organization, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, represented herein by its President, DR. FRANCISCO L. VILLANUEVA, JR., (hereinafter referred to as “MACCII”);

AND

METRO CLARK ICT COUNCIL, INC. a non-profit, non-stock, non-government organization, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, represented herein by its Chairman, ENGR. GEORGE D. SORIO (hereinafter referred to as “MCICTC”)

WHEREAS, the PARTIES are all part of a cluster of chambers located in the Region III and have many common interests aspirations that include the upliftment of the socio-economic status of the region, in particular, and the rest of the country, in general, through the development of globally competitive Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);

WHEREAS, the PARTIES are all considered as the voice of business in their corresponding areas and have proactively participated in issues that affect the competitiveness SMEs, the welfare of their workforce, as well as the overall socio-economic welfare of their areas;

WHEREAS, a dynamic ICT sector contributes to making the private sector more productive and competitive while creating new jobs, spurring innovation, and supporting sustained use of ICTs throughout the entire economy;

WHEREAS, the Philippine ICT sector, through the cooperation of the private and public sector, has established itself, as a robust and sustainable sector and first-tier global competitor as evidenced by the following:

1. Philippine manufacturers of semiconductor & electronics is the leading export earner for the country accounting for about two-thirds of the Philippine export value while the Philippine IT BPO sector is the third largest export earner based on net value added,

2. Philippine IT-BPO industry, estimated at $9 billion in 2010, is the fastest growing industry sector with an compounded annual growth rate of about 30% p.a. for the past 5 years and the largest private sector creator of new jobs for the same period accounting for about 2 million direct and indirect employment,

3. Philippine IT BPO-voice, with full time employees (FTEs) estimated at more than 330,000 is the global leader in the in the voice BPO sector while the Philippine IT BPO-non voice,
with FTEs estimated at more than 200,000, is second only to the current global leader, India, and,

4. Philippine IT-BPO sector is poised to hit at least $20 billion by 2016 and even as high as $25 billion with corresponding increase in direct and indirect employment provided the country sustains & foster a stronger public-private partnership;

WHEREAS, much of the success and growth of the ICT sector can be attributed to the pro-active initiatives of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology that promote public-private partnership, a few of which include:

1. Creation of the Philippine Digital Strategy 2011-2015 in consultation with various key stakeholders for a digitally empowered, innovative, globally competitive ICT sector,

2. Assistance and support for the formation of iCafe Pilipinas,

3. Guidance and technical assistance for the 2010 automated elections,

4. Oversight in the implementation of ICT component in JPEPA

5. Oversight to computerization of elections in 2010

6. Trade promotion for game development, animation, medical transcription, call center and software development sectors

7. Formulation and implementation of strategy for Next Wave Cities, paving the way for the dispersion IT-BPO investments outside of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu,

8. Assistance in the formation of more than twenty multi-stakeholder ICT councils in different provinces and cities

9. Support for the networking of ICT councils with industry associations such as the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP)

10. Initiated the iSchools program wherein 1,000 public high schools all over the Philippines were provided with a Wireless Internet Learning Laboratories with 21 computers and multimedia tools; an elibrary management system; and trained more than 20,000 teachers in integrating ICT4BE (ICT for Basic Education) towards bridging the digital divide in public school education

11. Development of over 180 Educational Digital Modules for the out of school youth and adults that are now available with the ALS BALS of Dep Ed,

12. Establishment, in partnership with State Colleges & Universities, of the eQuality program, an initiative that seeks to bridge the gap between academe and industry toward producing courses responsive to the needs of industry,

13. Initiation of the Responsible Use of ICT (an awareness campaign on the responsible use of the Internet; cyber crimes awareness; intellectual property rights and the like..) among students, Out of School Youths and communities, in partnership with Korean ICT council.

14. Support for the formation of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), composed of more than 35 ICT councils of various cities and provinces committed to the vision of transforming the Philippines as the top ideal IT-BPO destination in the world

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 47 dated June 23, 2011 abolished the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) under the office of the President and, instead, created an ICT Office under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) which is contrary to the clamor of industry players who have been praying for the upgrade of the CICT into a cabinet-level agency as is practiced by competing countries like Singapore, India, Malaysia and South Korea;

WHEREAS, the downgrade of the CICT to a mere office under the DOST undermines the role of the former CICT, prejudices the programs and gains that were achieved through the private-public partnership of CICT and the various sectors of the ICT industry and could jeopardize the realization of the growth that is anticipated for the industry;

NOW THEREFORE, the PARTIES hereby declare as one the foregoing resolutions:

1. That the PARTIES would like to humbly and respectfully appeal to the His Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III, President of the Philippines, to reconsider and recall Executive Order No. 47 and restore the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) to be under the Office of the President or, better still, to upgrade the same to the Department of Information and Communication Technology;

2. That this resolution be sent to His Excellency, the President, for his reference and consideration; and,

3. That copies of this joint resolution be distributed to relevant government agencies and other concerned stakeholders.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have hereunto set their hands this 5th day of August, 2011.

DR. FRANCISCO L. VILLANUEVA, JR.
President, MACCII


ENGR. GEORGE D. SORIO
Chairman, MCICTC

NICP: Championing Country-Wide Digital Development of the Philippines

NICP Reaction to Black and White Movement Statement on SONA

We sincerely appreciate the recent call of the Black and White Movement for President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to “rescind the executive order and restore CICT to the Office of the President to give ICT the importance and attention it deserves” as embodied in their post-SONA public statement.

We particularly highlight and reinforce the portion of their statement, which states as follows:
“We believe that ICT is a major engine for economic growth. Dissolving CICT, the primary agency responsible for the development of ICT through E.O. 47 and transferring its functions to DOST send the wrong signals to the ICT industry and the international community that ICT is not a priority for this government. We urge the President to rescind the executive order and restore CICT to the Office of the President to give ICT the importance and attention it deserves.”

We thank the Black and White Movement for boldly and correctly advising the President. Our respect goes to this movement which despite the fact that it has publicly supported the Aquino presidency in 2010, chose to be objective and not turn a blind eye on a wrong move of Malacanan that will not only hurt the ICT industry and our nation in general but will likewise hamper the goal of the Aquino administration for job generation.

We wish to confirm and re-affirm that by the stand of the Black and White Movement, your movement has indirectly shown concern for all the cities, provinces and regions outside of Metro Manila which have become united under the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).

The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines transcend political borders and was formed as a mechanism for collaboration and sharing of best practices among ICT councils and federations of various cities, provinces and regions in our efforts to market our respective locations as IT-BPO investments destinations.

We concur with the Black and White Movement in calling on the current administration to accelerate the implementation of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program and start spending more on infrastructure projects “to spur economic activity, generate employment, and allow the benefits of what is turning out to be a robust economy reach all levels of society, even in the midst of a global recession.”

The CICT regardless of its officials had been the symbol of unity for NICP to come together and be connected to other major organizations such as those from the industry, academe and other national line agencies. This is one sterling example of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program that has been proven effective since almost a fourth of the IT-BPO industry or about a hundred thousand of its direct jobs can now be found in the countryside.

The CICT has nurtured our cities, provinces and regions, from the very start, and has patiently guided us as we took our “baby steps” in the very competitive IT-BPO world. Today, many of us are already amongst the top destinations for IT-BPO companies outside of Metro Manila nationally and globally, thereby helping make the Philippines number one in the voice-based sector and third in the outsourcing global market.

But while some of our locations are almost fully-grown, many of us are still in the formative stages, building our competitiveness in the field of human resource development, infrastructure, and business environment. The abolition of the CICT has left our ICT councils orphan and without a catalyst, and unless the CICT is restored, our momentum and eventually our growth will be greatly affected. The Department of Science and Technology can never efficiently take the place of the CICT, given that time is of the essence, the embedded bureaucracy of a department as well as its limited core competencies and mandate.

The NICP is composed of Albay ICT Association, Inc. – Legazpi City ICT Council (AICTA-LCICTC), Aurora ICT Council, Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for ICT (BNEFIT), Inc., Balanga ICT Council, Bataan-Olongapo-Zambales-Subic Educational Development Organization for Information Technology (BOZE-DO-IT), Bohol ICT Council, Bulacan ICT Council, Cagayan de Oro ICT Business Council (CDO ICT), CARAGA ICT Council, Cavite ICT Council, Cebu Educational Development Foundation for IT (CEDFIT), City of San Fernando Pampanga ICT Council, ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, ICT@Bicol Council, ICT Davao, Inc., ICT Solutions Association of Region 12 - General Santos City (ISA 12-GSC), Iligan City ICT Council (ICICTC), Iloilo Federation for IT (IFIT), Laguna Industry Network for Knowledge, Innovation & Technology Foundation (LINK-IT),Metro Clark ICT Council, Inc. (MCICTCI), Metro Ilocos Norte ICT Council, Northern Samar ICT Council, Nueva Ecija ICT Council and Tarlac ICT Council.

For the NICP:

ATTY. JOCELLE BATAPA-SIGUE
Chair, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP)