RP urged: Go back to the basics of IT

Can the Philippines catch up with fast-growing Asian IT powers Singapore, China and India as the expected worldwide economic recovery begins this year and accelerates next year? The newly-elected officers of the Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) led by its president, Bernard Yu, is optimistically pushing for revitalization and a pragmatic "back to basics" approach in its group and in the local IT industry.

This March 14 at 8 pm, the members and new officers of ITAP will hold its Ilaw @ Aliw fund-raising concert at the Music Museum, with Willie Nepomuceno, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Robert Seña and others as performers. The ITAP goal of generating P1 million pesos will be partly used to provide electricity for four rural barangays in cooperation with the Foundation for Rural Electrification for Economic Development (FREED).

With a membership of 27 premier IT groups, ITAP has gained a solid reputation as the accepted voice of the local IT industry for over 16 years. Apart from more civic and IT projects, ITAP hopes to support the continued development of the Philippine IT industry as part of efforts to boost the national economic competitiveness.

Bernard Yu is managing director of Oracle Philippines, which is today the number one biggest software company in the Philippines in terms of revenue, and it is a 100-percent subsidiary of the $8.8-billion-dollar software giant which is ranked as the world’s second largest software company. As the new leader of ITAP, Yu told The Philippine STAR that some of the aspirations and hopes for the association are:

• Expansion of the membership by opening and inviting members from all sectors of IT, whether they are involved in hardware, software or services;

• Continuously raise funds that will finance its many projects that will promote camaraderie as well as provide help for community and civic endeavors. The initial target this year is a P1-million working fund by the end of 2002;

• Be involved or to spearhead activities that will enhance the credibility of ITAP not only within the country, but also vis-à-vis global counterpart organizations and groups;

• Serve as institutional representative association in the IT industry which the government can consult and coordinate with for IT-related programs and issues such as legislation and infrastructure project implementations. ITAP hopes to emulate the success and industry stature of the Singapore Information Technology Federation, the National Association of Software and Service Computer Companies of India (NASCOM), etc. It also hopes to be part of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).

Yu told The STAR: "The government has always been trying to position the Philippines as an ICT center, but we can’t do that if we can’t fix the basics. Nobody in the world will take the Philippines seriously if we are not taking care of our front door. I suggest that the country first focus on website development and improvement, then compliance to the E-Commerce Law. A foreign IT expert commented that when looking for Philippine websites, he realized that all government websites are all in different places, not well-organized, thus giving a bad impression. If the country really wants to be a major IT player in Asia, then we should first clean up our front-door."

He added: "We’re always in the stage of making grand plans in the Philippines, but we do not take care of the simple things. We must first do well the baby steps, before we can really walk and move forward. On a worldwide perspective, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks had caused people everywhere to think about going back to basics, such as their security, religious faith and other really important matters. In pushing for the development of the IT industry, the government and private sector must go back to the basics."

On how the national government can support the local IT industry to hurdle the economic slump, Yu said: "There has been a general slowdown after the Sept. 11 tragedy, like all other industries and businesses. We hope the national government will spend on IT, not really a policy of pump-priming, but just to spend its IT budget correctly and without delays."

Further elaborating, Yu said: "The government keeps trying to sell the Philippines overseas as an ideal IT investment and business area, but people abroad will ask how our government is using its IT budget. The Philippines today has one of the lowest IT budgets in the world. In most countries worldwide, the IT budget is usually 3 percent to 5 percent of the national budget, but here in the Philippines IT is not even close to 1 percent of our national budget. It is a measly decimal point. Please don’t get us wrong. We don’t want the government to add to its IT budget because we know there’s nothing more to add, but we ask that government spend its IT budget prudently and immediately, especially where it is most needed. At least, when President Arroyo goes overseas, she can say that the Philippines may not have enough IT budget, but at least, she can someday hopefully say that her government spends 100 percent of its IT budget every year."

On the future prospects of Philippine IT, Yu said "The President has said publicly that the country will put its priorities on tourism and the IT industry. We welcome this show of support. Since tourism is now handled by a Cabinet-level department while the industry is lobbying for the creation of an authority just focusing on IT development, such as a Department of ICT. We, the officers and members of ITAP, believe in the great future of the Philippine IT industry as one of the catalysts of national economic and social development. All sectors of Philippine society should work together to develop the local IT industry. We are very optimistic about this sunrise industry and about the future of the Philippine economy."

(For comments and suggestions, write [email protected] or P.O. Box 14277, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Metro Manila)