Clark receives high ratings as ICT hub

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – Fourteen years after this freeport was established, two government agencies gave it high ratings on their "readiness scorecard" as an information and communication technology (ICT) hub in Central Luzon.

The readiness scorecard was certified by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) during a strategic planning workshop for Clark Freeport during which its ICT roadmap was formulated.

The certification of both the DTI and CICT gave Clark a 9.23 mark, only a few points away from the perfect score of 10.

Sonny Lopez, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) information department manager, said the high rating "is an indication that Clark has met most of the crucial requisites of being an ideal destination for ICT locators."

He identified the crucial requisites as " presence of telecommunication facilities, power and transport infrastructure, real estate, vendor support, local government units/community support, incentives, quality of life, and the availability of related manpower to support the industry."

Compared to other freeports, Lopez said Clark is a "more viable outsourcing center" for ICT and ICT-enabled services due to its "strategic location, highly skilled and trainable manpower pool, and readily available investment areas with adequate facilities."

The recent ICT workshop here was facilitated by Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim, consultant of the CICT. It was attended by ICT companies in Clark and other ICT stakeholders from the academe, IT developers, telecommunication and infrastructure sector representatives, and government information experts.

IT experts from America Online, Cyber City Teleservices Inc., PLDT-Clark, CDC-Clark Polytechnic, Philexcel Business Park, Berthaphil Business Park, Angeles University Foundation, Holy Angeles University, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority attended the workshop.