MAKATI CITY, Philippines -- Open source software should be promoted as an alternative to more expensive proprietary software, the chairman of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) said during an open source summit.

"Within our country however, there is still a lack of awareness and support for open source software, or OSS, and its benefits. With its significant cost advantage, OSS provides users with a compelling alternative to proprietary solutions," CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III said in a speech he read during the first Philippine Open Source Summit in Cebu.

He pointed out that the "more common option for many users is the purchase of pirated copies of proprietary software."

"There is therefore a need to bring OSS to the awareness of users as a legitimate option and to provide the required support for its implementation," he said.

While the CICT is still advocating "freedom of choice" of software, Chua said that the agency has been using open source software in various projects it leads.

The agency's e-Governance in Local Government Units, or eLGU project, which intends to establish of community eCenters in the country, use software applications developed using open source. Among the e-government applications developed under the project include the Real Property Tax System, Business Permit Licensing System and the Treasury Operations Management System, he said.

"We believe that the marketplace should decide the use of proprietary software versus open source software. We just need to make sure that there exists a fair marketplace and that the consumer is fully informed of the available choices. Currently, government agencies decide on their own on whether to use proprietary or open source software," he said.

CICT has also been using open source software in its iSchools and eSkwela projects.

"These projects provide users the opportunity to enhance their learning experience through the use of PCs and the Internet. Our decision to use OSS in the implementation of these projects is driven primarily by its cost-effectiveness relative to proprietary solutions. Put simply, cheaper computer labs mean more computer labs that we can roll out," he said.

This month, CICT and Intel launched a low-cost computing program that introduced affordable PCs for consumers. They come with open source software.

"By combining our efforts, we will slowly but surely make Filipinos aware of the many benefits that OSS has to offer and that they have a cost effective alternative to proprietary solutions that does not involve software piracy," Chua said.