Dep’t of ICT will help improve RP image

By Erwin Lemuel Oliva INQ7.net

THE CREATION of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will help improve the Philippine government's image as its shows the rest of the world that this administration is serious about its role in governance, the Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner Alexander Arevalo told INQ7.net on Friday.

"We'll lose this chance to show the world that we're indeed serious about ICT and its role in governance. Now is the perfect time to have one," he said. Arevalo has recently been named chairman of two ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bodies – the organization of it information and communications technology heads and an inter-agency task force for the "Single Window" customs initiative.

He disagreed with the impression that the ICT department was created for the sake of having one and because other Asian countries have done so. DICT should not be perceived as just a "new department," he added, but an effort to improve governance in the Philippines amid the country’s political and economic crisis.

The ICT department will help boost the Philippines’ competitiveness under the circumstances, he stressed. "ICT won't determine the success of our economy although it is now considered one of the sunshine industries. But it will contribute to the economic development," he said.

The ICT department will also allow government to synergize ICT efforts in government and manage IT resources across all government agencies, translating to cost savings for government, Arevalo added.

"I'm not saying that all projects should be centralized. What we need is a body to set the general direction and policies of e-governance in the country," Arevalo said.

The Bureau of Customs has recently been concerned with integrating its ICT projects with other agencies. "We have realized lately that we have to interconnect with other agencies so that we can collaborate under a 'single window,'" he said. "As far as we're concerned, this is very difficult to achieve if we work bilaterally. It should be multi-lateral."

Arevalo also stressed that the creation of ICT department should not be viewed from only a "technological" standpoint. "The ICT department is not only about automation. It is mundane to look at it this way. It is not about computers but it is about governance. ICT cuts vertically and horizontally across all government agencies," he stressed.

"ICT is going to develop at its pace. But if we want to compete in the world, we will need to operate faster than 60 seconds a minute. And you can't do that if you don't use e-mail, for instance. The department of ICT is not an end but a means to make the Philippines a better country 20 years from now. The department will accelerate our development, thereby improving our image," said Arevalo who graduated cum laude at the Philippine Military Academy in 1982 as well as enjoyed stints in Harvard and the Asian Institute of Management.