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Thursday, August 11, 2011

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

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