UN resident coordinator Rafaello Tarroni said that the objectives of the WSIS action plan are to build an inclusive information society, promote the use of information and knowledge for the achievement of internally-agreed development goals and address the new challenges of the information society. "The use of IT is playing a vital role in the development of people’s lives," said Tarroni as he noted that the information and communication technology (ICT) as the fastest growing industry in the United States and Europe and in the Philippines.
Addressing the Philippine Summit on the Information Society, Tarroni has also cited the Philippines’ large pool of IT skills and English-speaking people and the fast-growing contact center industry.
However, he suggested that more must be done to further improve financial access for the IT industry and intensive marketing campaign to promote the country’s business process outsourcing.
The WSIS to be held in Tunisia in November 2005 aims to enhance better understanding on ICT’s impact to the international communities.
Spearheaded by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the WSIS will be participated by heads of states, ICT leaders, and non-government organizations worldwide.
"The Philippines hopes to come up with the Philippine plan of action on information society this year," says NTC deputy commissioner Jorge Sarmiento.
During the conference in Geneva last year, the WSIS had declared its common desire and commitment to build a people-oriented, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving quality of life.
The vision of Information Society will be realized in the cooperation and solidarity by the governments and all other stakeholders throughout the world.
Based on the internationally-agreed development goals, each country including the Philippines would come up with an action plan based on the national targets by 2015.
These targets include to connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points; connect universities, colleges and secondary schools and primary schools with ICTs; connect scientific and research centers with ICTs; connect public libraries, cultural centers, museums, post offices and archives with ICTs; connect health centers and hospitals with ICTs.
The action plan should also encourage the development of content and put in place technical conditions in order to facilitate the presence and use of all world languages on the Internet and ensure that more than half of the world’s inhabitants have access to ICTs with their reach.
Secretary Peña has outlined the government’s ICT directions in providing affordable Internet access to all segments of the population, develop an IT-enabled workforce, creation of an enabling legal and regulatory environment, to develop the Philippines as a world-class ICT services provider and provide government services to stakeholders.
The strategy is to establish community access points by installing community eCenters in all barangays throughout the country and managed and operated by the local communities.
Broadband networks would also be deployed with priorities on the development of applications for national and local government services, e-learning and e-commerce.
The strategy would also involve the human resource development enhancing English, mathematics and science in basic education, the integration of ICT in college curriculum, the development of IT skills in e-services and certification systems and the establishment of e-learning centers of excellence.
Peña stressed that the success of ICT industry depends on the strong private sector support. "Our targets are less ambitious but the most important is egovernment strategy that will provide services to the public through the Internet."
He also reiterated the importance of putting emphasis on content or application. "The goal of the Information Society is to provide content — government services, e-learning and ecommerce."
Some of the ICT issues need legislation such as the e-government law that would institutionalize e-government services, Peña added.
He also revealed that ITECC would be dissolved by an executive order and would serve as a private sector advisory board to the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT).
The functions and responsibilities of ITECC would be absorbed by the CICT that implements that ITECC strategic roadmap. The ITECC strategic committees will be renamed as the multi-sectoral work groups with CICT as the secretariat.
Quelle: The Manila Bulletin, 20.05.2004
