Philippine ICT after GMA

When future historians and analysts evaluate the Arroyo administration, one of their conclusions may well be that this administration had a signal opportunity to fully harness Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for national development, and fell short of the mark.

This possibility looms ironically despite the fact that President Arroyo has put a lot of effort into getting the government and the private sector together on a common platform and behind a single ICT program. But it appears now that she may fail to deliver the ultimate jewel to bequeath to the nation – a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). As things are in Congress, it is highly unlikely that a bill creating the DICT will be passed because the current session of this Congress is already winding down and little action has been taken. And then in the last regular session of the legislature starting in July, election fever is expected to occupy the undivided attention of the country’s lawmakers. Should this be indeed the case, then the most that this administration can pass on to its successor is the Commission on ICT (CICT), a de facto DICT, created by President Arroyo’s Executive Order 269 in February 2004.

I will leave the thorough evaluation of GMA’s ICT legacy to historians and analysts. But I truly believe that if we are to move forward as a nation, it is imperative that the next administration build on the ICT policies and initiatives developed by the present one. I hope that the next administration will not disregard Arroyo’s ICT legacy because of the NIH (Not-Invented-Here) syndrome or the urge to distance itself from the ancien regime.

But what are the chances of our being able to build on the momentum that has already been gained? To answer this question, we need to look back at our immediate past.

Private sector involvement

We should firstly remember that when the Arroyo administration came to power in 2001, the Information Technology and eCommerce Council (ITECC) created by President Joseph Estrada was not dismantled; in fact, it was given more prominence as President Arroyo herself took over its leadership by becoming its Chair.

ITECC and the organizations that preceded it had one thing in common – an active private sector participation in their governance and activities. ITECC was designed to be a partnership between the private and public sectors. Its vision and strategy was viewed as a common position taken by the key stakeholders of the industry sector and not just government.

Looking deeper, one sees that the obvious formula for policy sustainability is strong private sector involvement. The policies and institutions that survive changes in administration are those developed through a partnership involving government and its stakeholders. Looking forward, only policies that reflect the interests of all stakeholders are most likely to be continued and/or adopted by the next administration.

During the ITECC days, an organization called Outsource Philippines was established as the private sector initiative to support the government’s ICT agenda. Its Board included industry titans Manny Pangilinan, Jaime Augusto Zobel, and Lance Gokongwei, among others. The present day equivalent of this initiative is Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP). Due to the strategic nature of the offshore outsourcing industry, it makes sense for BPAP to similarly take a leadership role in crafting a long term ICT vision for the country as a partner of government. After all, the key to its future growth is an integrated approach towards developing the ICT resources of the country.

ICT master plan

The first ICT Master Plan for the country was developed during the Ramos presidency. It was embodied in the National Information Technology Plan (NITP2000) and the vision for an IT21 was enacted. Under the Estrada administration, ITECC produced the ISP.COM strategy and the Government Information System Plan (GISP). President Arroyo then created the CICT in 2004 with the objective of elevating it into a Department before her term was up. The CICT formulated the Philippine ICT Roadmap.

However, the Philippines’ ICT plans somehow fall short when compared to Singapore‘s iN2015 and Malaysia’s 2020 Vision. The country has not adopted a compelling long term vision for ICT. Even under the current administration, which has placed ICT in its priority agenda, an ICT Master Plan with a long term goal has never been established. Soon after the Philippine ICT Roadmap was formulated, the NBN scandal erupted and consumed the greater part of public and government attention.

If we are to cement the gains that we’ve had in ICT, we need the next administration to build upon and not run away from the ICT policies of the Arroyo administration. We need an ICT Policy Framework that makes broadband deployment a priority, that effectively coordinates the various activities of various government agencies, and put real resources behind the strategy.

Future: Leadership role of BPAP?

Taking a cue from the past, the private sector, led by BPAP or a consortium of ICT groups, should take the lead in ensuring the continuity in ICT policy. One way to do this is by developing an ICT Policy Framework. The development of this framework should involve all ICT stakeholders including government, private sector, civil society, and the academe. The process should start with taking an inventory of existing ICT policies, referring to best practices from other countries, and evaluating policy issues created by development of new technologies. On this basis, policy gaps would be identified and a series of policy recommendations which will form the ICT Policy Framework will be developed.

This ICT Policy Framework can be the starting point for the next administration to craft its own ICT agenda. It will also serve as input for the development of the Medium Term Development Program of the new administration.

If we are to sustain and not lose the momentum that we have, we need a compelling vision and effective strategy for an ICT-empowered nation. We cannot wait for the next administration to articulate this. We need to come together today to make this happen. Once again, the private sector – not just business but academe and the non-government sectors – should provide the necessary leadership to fully harness ICT as a tool of national development.

DICT is a Must: Joint Foreign Chambers Position

Most important of all, we have to see the Department of Information and Communications Technology in place – if not in this administration, then in the next.

Simply stated, creation of the DICT is a must for our country if we really want national modernization and development. The IT is a transformational force in the world today transforming not only economies but the way we live. And we have not even seen its full impact yet because innovations are happening at bewildering speed. By creating a department dedicated to the sector and the new technologies, the Philippines has a chance to be on top of the curve, not behind it.

The foreign chambers in the country are so convinced about this initiative that they have come up with a position statement urging the Senate leadership to pass Senate Bill 2546, creating the DICT. Two weeks ago, Senator Ed Angara was scheduled to give his sponsorship speech at plenary session. Unfortunately, it was cancelled. The chambers noted “the crucial role that IT and communications can play in the Philippine economy” and the opportunity for the Philippines to become “the premier location worldwide for IT-enabled services in East Asia” in the face of serious competition from other countries. This can be our competitive edge in our part of the world.