E-governance through info sharing!

I would like to congratulate the participants of the recently concluded Regional Conference on the Central Visayas Integrated Regional Information System (CVIRIS) held at the Montebello Hotel on June 20-21. Since January of this year, the Central Visayas Information Sharing Network was commissioned by the German Development Cooperation (GTZ) to undertake the study of the CVIRIS and that's exactly what the participants have been doing in the past two days, presenting the study on CVIRIS in the Region. This is the first time that this is being done in this country.

If Cebu is way ahead of the rest of the country, it is due to our widespread use of computers, which is linked to the World Wide Web. While the private sector is up to date on high-technology, many offices of the Philippine government still has to catch up with modern times, and those that already have computers are not even integrated because of lack of capability or simply lacking in motivation. That's precisely why this conference was concocted.

When all information from the central and local government offices are linked as a single unit, it would be a great boon to economic development; after all, we believe in that dictum that says, "Knowledge is power." When a person can get instant information from the farthest points in Region VII, then we can proudly say that we in Central Visayas through E-Governance will be ready to take on the challenge of becoming a Mega or Supra Region and one of the major economic dynamos of this land.

At the end of the conference, the Technical Working Group proposed to tap the unused E-Gov funds of the government. And since this is the first of its kind in the country, Region 7 is the trailblazer into linking the entire nation to improve access and delivery of government services and information. The added bonus to that conference was that GTZ Program Manager Dr. Herwig Mayor distributed half a million worth of computers to jumpstart this information linkage. Thanks to the GTZ's donation, this country can look forward to better governance through information sharing.

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I got a call from Vice-Mayor Mike Rama about the column we wrote on that traffic incident involving a hit-and-run vehicle driven by SPO1 Eriberto Dacalos Jr. of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). Mike Rama was dismayed that even now, many cops still have that "Martial Law" mentality where instead of serving the public, they abuse their authority. Instead of helping the citizens, they threaten them!

What saddened the Vice-Mayor was that, a simple traffic incident was blown out of proportion, with the cops, SPO1 Dacalos and SPO1 Delfin Bontuyan pulling out their guns against unarmed private citizens for a simple traffic accident that they have caused. Worse of all, whenever motorists get themselves involved in a hit-and-run vehicle, they usually go to the police to seek assistance. Well, in this case, the hit-and-run vehicle was driven by the police who, despite the request to go to the CITOM office in order to settle the traffic altercation, refused to be under CITOM and in an obvious show of contempt, didn't show up at the CITOM office at all!

Well, as you know, the root of this problem really is that policemen who drink hard liquor where when they've had one too many the ogre inside them comes out. And the man in uniform who has a sworn duty to protect the citizen now becomes the oppressor of the citizenry. As we've said before, it is the attitude of policemen like this that brought people to run to the hills and join the New People's Army (NPA).

As we all know, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) has released P1 billion to fight the Communist insurgency. But what good will that P1 billion do if cops like Dacalos and Bontuyan would be given new police cars, new guns, receive new training and get even higher pay, yet they still believe that they are above the law and treat the motorists whom they sideswipe like criminals? At this point, we can only say that it is time for the police to shape up or ship out! We're really sick and tired that there are still too many scalawags in the Philippine National Police (PNP).

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The Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines will open today the biggest information and communications technology (ICT) exhibit and selling show in the Visayas with "I.T.'s happening in COMDDAP Cebu 2006!" at SM City Cebu Trade Hall. That means if you're looking for something new in computers, you will find it in the COMDDAP exhibit. You shouldn't miss this show!

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