CICT, NTC won't be under DOTC

MANILA, Philippines - Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus disclosed over the weekend that the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will not be under the control and supervision of his department but will be indirectly under the Office of the President.

In an interview, De Jesus also hinted that proposals to convert the CICT to a department may not get the backing of the current administration.

“But everything is still under review. Anything is possible,” he pointed out.

He said CICT will still be under the Office of the President (OP) and the NTC under its supervision.

The CICT was created in 2004, by virtue of EO 269, signed by then President Arroyo as a transitory measure to the creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

It is composed of the National Computer Center (NCC), the Telecommunications Office (TELOF), and all other operating units of the DOTC dealing with communications. The NTC and the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) were also attached to the CICT for policy coordination. The CICT took over the functions of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council (ITECC), which was subsequently abolished through EO no. 334. CICT was originally under the OP.

EO 454 issued in 2005, transferred the NTC back to the DOTC. According to EO 454, the transfer “will streamline bureaucracy operations.” While the reasons for the transfer were unclear, there were discussions that placing the NTC under the CICT would be a bureaucratic anomaly since it is unusual for a commission to fall under another commission.

Then in Feb. 2007, EO 603, the TELOF and all other operating units of the CICT dealing with communications were transferred back to the DOTC. According to EO 603, the transfer “is necessitated by the present demands of national development and concomitant development projects as it will streamline bureaucracy operations and effectively promote fast, efficient and reliable networks of communication system and services.” The transfer of the TELOF to the DOTC left the CICT with just two agencies – the NCC and the PhilPost.

EO 648, signed on August 6, 2007 but published only on Dec. 24, 2008, transferred the NTC back to the CICT.

Another subsequent issuance, EO 780 signed on Jan. 29, 2009, transferred the TELOF and all other operating units of the DOTC dealing with communications back to the CICT.

Several bills have filed in Congress for the creation of the CICT. While there has been support in the House of Representatives, the proposal always manages to get killed in Senate.

Various groups are also supporting the creation of a DICT, in order to give the ICT sector the importance it deserves.

The Joint Foreign Chambers, the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, the Management Association of the Philippines, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry were all pushing for the creation of a DICT even prior to the May polls.

In a letter to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate committee on science and technology chair Edgardo Angara, the groups said having a DICT would enable the country “to become the premier global location in East Asia for IT-enabled services,” as well as allow the government to better deliver services to Filipinos nationwide.

For its part, the Joint Foreign Chambers said the country must address the challenges and opportunities to become a larger player in this dynamic and ever-changing industry. “Major issues facing the sector are human resources, intellectual property rights, security, data protection, quality management and standards, all of which require high-level interfaces with other departments of the Philippine government and other domestic and international organizations,” the JFC said.

The JFC said communications and transportation are vital infrastructure functions for the country that should logically be the responsibility of separate departments.

“The ease and cost of doing business, the overall investment climate and, indeed, the daily life of every Filipino are vitally affected by the performance of each of these departments,” the JFC said.