Techie
9:52 PM | Friday | 12 March 2010

The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, composed of 33 regional ICT councils, strongly supports the creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) based on the crucial role that ICT plays in the Philippine economy and urges the Senate to approve the bill creating said department before the elections.

NICP Chair and Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue says the NICP came out with a position paper last year under the term of its former chair, George Sorio of the Metro Clark ICT Council (MCICTC) to call for the immediate approval of Senate Bill 2546 creating the DICT. The House of Representatives already passed HB 4300 for the same purpose last  2008.

NICP members

In their statement, NICP says, "Any further delay could have a dampening effect on ICT industry's future growth in the Philippines, especially during the ongoing global recession. Positive Senate action will ensure the country's continued competitive edge in the global market place, and provide social and economic opportunities for the Filipino people."

NICP believes that the creation of the DICT will propel social and economic growth in the countryside. As the country strives to maintain major strategic importance in ASEAN as well as in the global stage, the participation of stakeholders in the regions are a crucial element in ensuring ICT'S competitiveness and sustaining the fight against poverty in general.

NICP states further: "The IT-BPO sector alone, contributed export revenues worth $6 billion in dollars in 2008 and created approximately 400,000 job, this, despite the raging economic turmoil that hit the global economy in late 2008. As the private sector will attest, the Philippines desperately needs a stronger government body, duly established through legislation, to sustain our competitive edge in ICT development."

In an era of globalization, ICT is an important vehicle enabling the private sector to be more competitive. As a sector known for its dynamism and innovation, ICT policies, regulations and roadmaps should be regularly updated and harmonized with the latest technological and sector developments, to ensure that the Philippines can continue to compete globally for new jobs, investments and businesses. This can be best achieved with the creation of a Department of ICT with cabinet-level leadership, and supported by capable staff.

The country must take an assertive stance in addressing major issues such as human resources, intellectual property rights, security, data protection and quality management and standards, all of which require interfaces with other departments of the Philippine Government, as well as in international organizations.

Batapa-Sigue, who is also chair of the Bacolod-Negros Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT), says they "believe that the creation of the DICT will finally create a permanent entity that cannot be easily modified without the passage of another bill – a permanence advocated by the various ICT councils and organizations in pursuit of a sustained support ICT development in the Philippines. Its major task would be to increase awareness of the benefits of ICT in order to bridge the digital divide. Increasing mobile penetration rates, the proliferation of Internet cafes, accessibility to broadband connectivity, enhancing connectivity in underserved areas, the empowerment of the marginalized segments of our population, and the creation of homegrown Web content, should hopefully bring about a better quality of life for Juan dela Cruz."

"It is time that the clamor for a DICT be heard by the highest law-making bodies of this country. Other ASEAN governments heeded the call for an ICT Department or Ministry, and are now closing the gap on our hard-earned and much-valued ICT competitiveness."

Batapa-Sigue says, "For its part, the NICP has engaged in various trade missions and participated in a number of ICT international activities as a way to drum up support for the country's IT-BPO industry. But while government can count on the NICP as a steadfast partner in the development of ICT Industry in the Philippines, we ask Government not to abdicate its role as ICT'S steward, and strongly urge it to pursue the path towards a Philippine information society."