‘ICT department stays with Science, Technology office’

While business chambers clamor for the creation of a new  department to focus on Information Communication Technology, the national government thinks otherwise.
The ICT Industry Development Program will  be executed by the ICT Office under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), said President Benigno Aquino in a speech read by Vice President Jejomar Binay in a joint conference of ASEAN IT  mnisters and senior officials held in Shangr-la’s Mactan island Resort yesterday.
Binay  didn’t give  details but said the program  would support the growth of the ICT industry, enhance market competitiveness and strengthen communications throughout the regions.
In a separate interview, Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said  he thinks the current setup was  appropriate.
“We are shifting from an information society to a ‘smart society’ where we basically use information (data) for smarter decisions. All the more it’s more  appropriate that ICT is under the DOST,” he told reporters.
“ICT  can only work if you integrate it with other technologies which is DOST’s mandate.”
Montejo was in Cebu to speak at  the opening ceremony of the 12th ASEAN Telecomunications  and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin) and 13th ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Senior Officials Meeting (Telsom).
He discussed the iGovPhil and Super Wi-fi projects as government priorities.
The  iGovPhil , a flagship e-governance initiative aimed to connect and provide a secure data sharing online across all e-government systems , will be piloted in Metro Manila by middle of next year.
“The budget is P470 million to interconnect all government offices in Manila. Now we are about 70 percent complete and hope to be operational by June of 2013,” said Montejo.
The  “Super Wifi” project aims  to use available radio frequencies as channels to help reach other unserved or underserved communities.
“We are still at the development phase of this emerging access technology because this is rather new which we see as a viable solution to help enable connectivity around the country which is actually in line with the key thrust of ASEAN ICT Masterplan (AIM) 2015,” said Montejo.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was also a  speaker of Telmin and Telsom meetings, said he would continue to support projects that develop  ICT which supports the growth of the country’s outsourcing industry.
“In the Philippines, ICT industry is at the forefront of the BPO (business process outsource) race and has enjoyed a continuous growth and expansions. Last year, the sector generated $11 billion in direct revenues and contributed 638,000 new jobs,” said Binay.
By 2015,   an ASEAN Economic Community is expected to integrate  the 10 member  nations in a  single market for a free flow of goods, services, investment capital and skilled labor.