DTI to acquire PCs for public high schools

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will use the P320 million from the Japanese government to acquire personal computers for its Public High Schools (PCPS) program.

Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said they will roll off 8,525 personal computers and computer peripherals in different public high schools in Luzon and the Visayas.

With the financial aid of the government of Japan for the Luzon and Visayas component of PCPS Phase 4, the fund will provide 11 desktop computers and computer peripherals to each of 775 public high school beneficiaries.

Domingo said the DTI has been spearheading the implementation of the project since 2001. Phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 Mindanao component of the PCPS project have provided 4,139 public high schools with computers and, thus, reduced the computer backlog in secondary education from 75 percent in 2001 to 37 percent to date.

“The project, which is part of Japan ’s measures to narrow the international digital divide between developed and developing countries, seeks to contribute to the Philippine government’s efforts to develop its human capital in the field of Information Technology (IT) through its enhanced quality of IT education,” Domingo said.

The PCPS 4 Mindanao Component was launched in Davao City last year at F. Bangoy National High School attended by no less than Japan Ambassador Makoto Katsura.

The project is also one of the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development projects designed to contribute to the peace process and development in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao and the surrounding areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.