Information technology: A driver for peace in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - How do you prepare Filipinos for jobs in the global economy and reduce conflict in the Mindanao region?

Volunteer worker Roy Lopez Pamitalan thinks he has one answer.

Since 2005, Pamitalan has worked as United Nations Volunteers (UNV) IT specialist in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.

Through his work with the Cisco Networking Academy, his goal is to engage the academic community into a new working culture to bridge the digital divide. He believes the cycle of conflict in Mindanao can be interrupted if people have alternative futures

through opportunities to engage in the global workforce.

An engineer by profession, Pamitalan’s work is part of the Cisco Networking Academy program in partnership with the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Iligan Computer Institute, and other partner organizations. The program promotes digital opportunities, encourages female inclusion in the IT education and

industry, and contributes to the economic development of Mindanao.

Pamitalan has traveled in the region extensively to reach out to public schools and other educational institutions to deliver IT training.

“Enhanced IT skills for students from less privileged families living in conflict-affected areas will open new opportunities to improve their future life situation. Over time employment opportunities in industries improve locally and internationally and students from Mindanao become advocates of peace as an option to conflict,” says Pamitalan.

Ernesto Empig, chair of MSUIIT’s Department of Electronics Engineering, says: “The economic development of a nation depends largely on the quality of acquired education.

We strive to excel IT education in the region and create an environment that is conducive to peace.”

The UNV and Cisco, the world’s largest network technology company, have partnered since 2000 to improve IT training opportunities for underserved populations worldwide. To date, Cisco has sponsored more than 110 UNV volunteers in 40 countries.

“The Cisco Networking Academy program demonstrates a collaborative approach and commitment by local communities to address the digital divide and how collectively

we can uphold peace-building processes in Mindanao,” says Jacqui Badcock, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) which administers

the UNV program.

The potential of this program to improve the lives of people in Mindanao and promote stability in the region has not been lost on the community. Emmanuel Lagare, vice

president of academic affairs in the MSU system, is planning to replicate the program in MSU’s other campuses in Mindanao. Ladislao Tabanao has also integrated the Cisco Networking Academy program in his regular courses at the IIigan Computer Institute to better serve marginalized people. “As well as building students capabilities in essential computer skills, this program gives students insights and experience into real situations within large companies,” says Tabanao who won the Entrepreneur Award in this year’s

search for The Outstanding MSU-IIT Alumni (TOMA).

The UNV program is inspired by the conviction that volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and by the idea that everyone can contribute their time and

energy towards peace and development.