PGMA rallies RP to harness ICT

President Gloria Arroyo yesterday called on the full harnessing of information communications technology in the country to develop the quality of education and the Filipino youth, and boost the economy.

The president, in a brief speech at the opening of the 2nd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress here in Cebu, boasted that the technology has propelled her administration's accomplishments easier and faster.

ICT is the wave of the future and the foundation of economic development of the country, aside from providing millions of jobs to Filipinos, Mrs. Arroyo told the congress participants at the Waterfront Hotel-Cebu City.

ICT generates jobs including the construction of cell sites, manufacture of microchips, operation of computer-dependent industries and business process outsourcing industries; and creates small business such as cyber cafes, and sales outlets for mobile phones and Internet cards, she explained.

"All of us must think in step to harness the force of ICT to advance the quality of education, the development of the Filipino youth and building a brighter future for the Filipino nation," Arroyo said while rallying educators to act on improving the technology.

The country still has a lot to do to improve the technology, and it has to start through training of more ICT-competent teachers, and to increase the number of Internet-ready computers in public schools, said the president.

"The Department of Education and the Commission for Information and Communications Technology are now crafting the National ICT Competency Standard for Teachers, or the NICS, to be implemented in all public high schools. Majority of public high school teachers should fulfill the requirements of NICS by 2010," Mrs. Arroyo said.

President Arroyo recalled that when she first assumed the presidency in 2001, the Philippines started with smaller, realizable goals: high-speed interconnectivity at costs affordable to the public, more efficiency among service providers and technologies for multi-media convergence.

"In three years time and despite the limited resources, we were able to link the whole country, even as we started bolstering proficiency in Math, Science and English. Yes, we must engage the world to bring the benefits of global engagement home, at the time of Philippine economic vibrance," said Mrs. Arroyo.

Among her administration's achievement that she mentioned in her speech were the peso's four-year high record, three-month high stocks, and the presence of cell sites and Internet availability in most parts of the country including in rebel-infested Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The Philippine Information Agency earlier said Mrs. Arroyo would give a 20-minute speech but the president only spent at least 10 minutes at the ICT Congress. She immediately left for Guimaras together with Tourism Secretary Ace Durano and Cabinet Officer for Regional Development Cerge Remonde. - Wenna A. Berondo