Mendoza, who assumed his post on July 2, assured the industry leaders in attendance – including executives of IBM, Siemens, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems – that his term will be marked by openness and efficiency.
Digital Philippines is a non-stock, non-profit organization of ICT and ICT-related firms and associations chaired by Ambassador Roberto Romulo, senior adviser for international competitiveness and co-chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council (ITECC).
Findings from a recent study conducted by Digital Philippines, "SMEs and e-Commerce in Three Philippine Cities," and the results of the e-Gobyerno Exhibit and Seminar held last June 7-8 were presented during the meeting.
The SME study, made possible through a grant from the Asia Foundation, surveyed 498 SMEs in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao and the extent of their use of ICT and e-commerce in business operations.
The study is part of a three-country review that includes Indonesia and Thailand, and shows Filipino SMEs to be ahead of their counterparts in the two countries in the use of ICT and e-commerce.
The e-Gobyerno Exhibit and Seminar was organized by Digital Philippines in partnership with the ITECC and the Congressional Oversight Committee on e-Commerce. An estimated 7,600 people attended the event.
The SME study is part of a broader research program of Digital Philippines on the main areas of ICT application – e-commerce, e-government and e-learning. An evaluation of 140 national government websites, called "e-Government in the Philippines: Benchmarking Against Global Best Practices," was published last April.
Findings from this study indicate that the Philippines must accelerate e-government implementation if it was to meet the June 30, 2002 deadline set in the e-Commerce Law for all government agencies to have an online presence.