. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Launch of telecentre.org and Turnover ceremonies
3 March 2010, New World Hotel
Senator Edgardo J. Angara
Keynote Speaker
___________________________________
We live today in a world where fast access to information could prove to be decisive in any situation, be it war, trade or sports.Countries that utilize new technology, whether in agricultural productivity or industrial capacity, are already miles ahead of the Philippines in nearly every aspect. That’s because technology is equivalent to efficiency. When there is efficiency, there is less spending for productivity, hence, higher profit returns.
It took less than two decades for China to develop from a country with less than 1% telephone coverage, to one with 800 million subscribers, the largest network in the world. Now, about half of all phone handsets and more than two-thirds of all personal computers in the world are produced there.
On a visit to Bangalore, India some years back, I saw how rural farmers were able to access current market prices, pre-determine the weather and log on to government database simply with the use of the internet.
They set up 100,000 telecenters around their country of 600,000 villages, or one in every six villages. In these digital villages, or Internet kiosks, farmers can access market information, weather forecasts and government database, in order to increase productivity. It made a great breakthroughs in bringing the benefits of technology to rural areas.
Similar digital villages are also common in Brazil. Here in the Philippines, the IT revolution seems to have penetrated only the urban areas. Despite significant improvements in ICT around the world, there is a wide digital divide in the country.
In the education system, many students lack access to computers, and teachers are not always trained in technology-aided teaching. There is a huge void in terms of bringing technology to the grassroots.
In my home province Aurora, I have initiated and launched on June 29, 2009 a Digital Village similar to that in Bangalore. About 1,200 farmers from the four municipalities Baler, Maria Aurora, San Luis and Dipaculao were the beneficiaries of its first phase.
Filipino farmers have an excellent chance of learning based on the experience of Indian farmers who are mostly illiterate but were able to adapt to modern technology and have become rich in the process. This is genuine farmer empowerment, and brings us closer to the dream that someday the middle-class would come from the farming community.
ICT is a potent tool in empowering the poor by leveling the playing field and providing access to services that normally would be unaffordable or inaccessible. Microentrepreneurs can reach much broader markets over the internet without having to invest much capital. Talented Filipinos can gain instant global recognition over the internet.
But if we want to make ICT the core of our poverty alleviation efforts, we need to establish a government agency that will focus on this industry and provide the government support needed to maintain its global competitiveness.
Governments around the world are miles ahead of us in crafting policies and creating institutions for ICT growth. For example, Germany has an inter-ministerial agency handling Information Technology (IT) policies, while France and Portugal have established one central coordinating body, directly answerable to the chief executive.
Countries like China, India, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, our main competitors in the global offshoring and outsourcing (O&O) market, have already set up ministries or departments to focus solely on ICT.
In contrast, our country lacks a coherent, long-term policy for ICT development, as well as an agency that will implement the strategy. This is why we need to establish a Department of ICT (DICT), which I sponsored in the Senate through the Committee on Science and Technology. It will be the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, regulating and administrative entity of the executive branch of the government for ICT development.
Through the establishment of DICT, we hope to further promote ICT in the country as a tool to create jobs, improve government services, and empower Filipinos.
During this particularly critical transition period – as we recover from the global financial crisis, and as a new administration will be elected in a few months – we need every advantage that we can get. ICT is one way for us to have that advantage.
The data and information, if we are able to utilize it properly, will allow us to make faster and better decisions, and react to crisis better, whether it be financial, or health related, or weather and crop forecasting. The possibilities of a unified ICT system in the country are endless.
Thank you and good morning.
