CCCI, Indian chamber draft mutual ICT deal

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce have drafted a memorandum of bilateral agreements on areas concerning business matching and complementation initiative on information and communication technology.

The MOA, which was supposedly signed yesterday at the sidelines of the four-day ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, was rescheduled upon the postponement of the 12th ASEAN Summit.

CCCI president Francis O. Monera said the MOA will mainly concern on the areas of business matching, and pursue complementation initiative especially for ICT (Information, Communication Technology) industry between Cebu and India.

At CCCI's end, Monera said the business sector will have to put pressure on highlighting the money-maker industries in Cebu, the ICT and tourism.

He said Cebu, being developed as the ICT hub in the Philippines, could well complement India's already-strong ICT sector.

The reciprocation of ICT sectors between Cebu and India was born upon the recommendation of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Kiran Karnik in his talk during an International ICT Conference held in Cebu last year.

Karnik stressed that the Philippines could take advantage of the US$17 billion IT enabled services market, thus immediate collaboration is highly encouraged.

Karnik mentioned specific steps that both countries could start working together such as formulating a framework on how companies in both countries get together and work in synergy.

Making the Philippines as India's site for recovery centers for India-based IT companies, is one of the potentials he recommended.

Karnik also acknowledged the good IT skilled professionals in the Philippines, that could help India, in return, India's good talents could also complement the needs of the Philippines.

"You have good IT talents in the Philippines that we don't have in our country, as well as we have good India IT professionals whose talents are also needed in your IT sector," Karnik earlier pointed out.

"We may compete in other areas in IT but we can work together and grow together," he stressed.

Before the government could attend to this "minor" detail on sealing a special agreement with India on ICT industry concern in particular, Monera said CCCI would take the lead in advancing this move.

Although, the MOA would cover broad industry collaboration, he said CCCI would insist on prioritizing the ICT and tourism in this special agreement.

CCCI had been in constant communication with the business sector in India, through the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.