An organizational boost to ICT initiatives

The creation of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology by virtue of Executive Order No. 269 last January 12, 2004 is a boon to the ICT industry. It will be headed by a Commissioner with Cabinet rank, which means that the Commissioner will carry the rank of Secretary and will be a member of the Cabinet. The Commission will be attached to the Office of the President.

The creation of the Commission is a transitory measure leading to the creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology.

This Commission will enable government to “put its act together” and develop a momentum far greater than it is doing now.

Various units of the government (particularly the National Computer Center, the Telecommunications Office and other relevant units of the Department of Transportation and Communications) can now have a strong legal basis for coordinating their actions – whether it be on internet connections, in content provision, or on telecommunications facilities.

There is so much overlapping of concerns among different units of the national government when it comes to ICT that a coordinative body with the power to discipline its members and promote harmony or unity of action is a very timely move.

We just hope that the creation of the Commission will solve problems rather than create new ones. It should also not cause delays in decision-making and in making government action more “bureaucratic” with more signatures needed before decisions are implemented or before requests from the private are acted upon.

With these units orchestrating their activities well, the private sector will be more confident and aggressive in putting up such businesses as call centers, animation companies, medical transcriptions, business process outsourcing and, of course, the required telecommunications facilities linking us reliably and quickly with the rest of the world.

We should expect all regions to be served by this Commission, including Eastern Visayas. Our Regional Development Plan emphasizes the growth of the IT industry in this region as a priority strategy.

We will therefore fit well into the objectives of the Commission.