Olongapo Telecom & Information Technology

NTC starts review of PLDT, Digitel merger

2011-04-28T20:54:00.000+08:00

By Vernadette Joven (philstar.com)

An official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said today that the agency is taking into consideration the position paper submitted by Globe Telecom on the merger announcement made by PLDT and Digitel.

In a phone interview with Philstar.com, NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said that they already began the review of the merger and will consider Globe’s position paper as an input and part of the review.

“I already read the letter and we at the NTC together with the Department of Justice and the economic team are already studying the PLDT-Digitel deal, as mandated by President Aquino,” Cordoba said.

The NTC official, meanwhile, asked for patience from the stakeholders because it would take some time before they can issue a decision on the controversial merger.

He said they have to take into consideration a lot of factors coming from different business industries that would be affected by the merger.

Two weeks ago, during the field training and live firing exercises for Balikatan 2011 in Nueva Ecija, President Benigno Aquino III said he would order NTC, the Department of Justice and his economic team to study the merger thoroughly.

“We want to ensure that there is a level playing field,” President Aquino said.

In its position paper, Globe cited threats to free competition and urged the NTC to act within its legal mandate to enforce and implement the Public Telecommunications Policy Act.

“If they (NTC) must approve the deal, do so but there are rules to follow which is already being commonly practiced in other countries,” said Atty. Rodolfo Salalima, chief legal counsel of Globe Telecom.

Salalima added that the NTC should no longer wait for PLDT to submit documents pertaining to the merger to determine whether it breached the clause of free competition.

He said that the NTC should also be able to clear the frequency allocation issue and whether the dominant carrier should return part of its frequency back to the government.

The PLDT Group, which already filed the acquisition deal last week, remains optimistic that they will be able to obtain the necessary approval before the deadline they set for the merger by the end of June.

Atty. Ray Espinosa, PLDT head of regulatory affairs and policy, calls the issues raised by Globe as a regulatory blackmail to gain leverage and exact concessions from PLDT, through NTC.

“Globe speaks of monopoly even as its controlling shareholder, have institutionalized combinations in restraint of trade, which is illegal,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa said that the issue on frequency allocation should focus on the efficiency of frequency utilization and subscriber base/usage, not on the network infrastructure, which is dependent on investment.

He added that they even have pending requests from NTC for more frequency allocation to serve more subscribers since the company has already fully utilized the frequency allocated to them.

Globe pushes interconnection with other telcos

2010-09-11T15:16:00.000+08:00

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. wants to beef up interconnection with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (Bayantel), and Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. (Digitel) this year in key cities outside the National Capital Region.

Froilan Castelo, Globe Telecom's head of corporate and legal services, said in a statement the company wanted to complete more interconnection agreements by the end of this year.

"Even if competition in the local telecommunication industry is intense, we must be able to put this aside for the public good. Interconnection is a win-win for everyone," he said. Globe Telecom pointed out that interconnection meant residents and business establishments in the provinces and cities can make local calls to other telcos without extra charges.

"Without interconnection, a Globe Telecom landline subscriber has to pay long-distance rates to call a Digitel, PLDT or Bayantel landline subscriber within the same area, and vice-versa," it said.

The company plans to pursue interconnection talks with PLDT for Zamboanga City, Baguio, and Pampanga within this year, he said. "The interconnection plans are done following the successful interconnection of the two telecommunication companies in Davao City last July. Also in the lineup are Laguna, La Union and Batangas," Globe Telecom said.

Globe Telecom also said it wanted interconnection with Digitel for the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Bataan, Lucena, Quezon, and Camarines Norte by end of 2010, after the link-up of their local networks in Zambales and Isabela last month.

"[When] the last five Points of Interconnection (POIs) between Globe and Digitel [are] completed, the two firms will have achieved 100% total interconnection in all areas where they operate nationwide," Globe Telecom said.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom said 90% of common areas with Bayantel have been interconnected, the most recent of which is in the province of Eastern Samar, which took effect last Sept. 6.

The National Telecommunications Commission requires interconnection of public telecommunications carriers under Republic Act No. 7925, or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995 which broke PLDT's monopoly.

Mediaquest Holdings, Inc., a unit of the Beneficial Trust Fund of PLDT, has a minority stake in BusinessW

NTC EXAM DATES

2010-02-12T17:31:00.001+08:00

National Telecommunications Commission

Office Order 115-12-2009

Schedule of Regular Radio Operators' Examinations in the Regional Offices for the year of 2010.

Pursuant to existing Radio laws and Regulations and in the interest of public service, the schedule of the radio operators' examinations for the year 2010 is hereby issued, including the place of the exam, date of exam and deadline for submission of applications, as follows :-

Date of Exam	Regional Office	Place of Exam	Deadline of submission of application
February 27 2010	II	Nueva Vizcaya	January 27 2010
March 20 2010	CAR	Baguio City	February 20 2010
March 27 2010	X	Cagayan de Oro City	February 27 2010
April 17 2010	XIII	Tacloban City	March 18 2010
April 24 2010	I	San Fernando La Union	March 24 2010
May 16 2010	V	Legaspi City	April 16 2010
May 22 2010	IX	Davao City	April 22 2010
May 29 2010	VI	Iloilo City	April 29 2010
June 5 2010	VII	Cebu City	May 5 2010
June 19 2010	XII	General Santos City	May 19 2010
June 26 2010	IX	Zamboanga City	May 26 2010
July 2 2010 (Friday)	III	San Fernando City Pampanga	June 2 2010
September 4 2010	CARAGA	Butuan City	August 4 2010
September 18 2010	XII	General Santos City	August 19 2010
October 2 2010	IV	Laguna	September 2 2010
October 9 2010	III	Subic Zambales	September 9 2010
October 16 2010	VII	Cebu City	September 16 2010
October 23 2010	XI	Davao City	September 23 2010
November 6 2010	I	Dagupan City	September 6 2010
November 20 2010	VI	Bacolod City	October 20 2010
November 27 2010	CAR	Baguio City	October 27 2010
December IV 2009	IX	Dipolog City	November 4 2010

The master list of examinees shall be forwarded to the Radio Operators Examination Committee (ROEC) at least two (2) weeks prior to exam date.

NBI runs after hackers

2010-01-12T01:08:00.000+08:00

by Hector Lawas - Journal online

THE National Bureau of Investigation stepped into the recent incidents of hacking government websites.

The NBI Anti-Computer Crimes Division said it is now verifying information that one source of the hackers is Indonesia.

Hackers defaced the websites of the Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, National Disaster Coordinating Council and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, among others.

The NBI said it will use the legal means provided under the E-Commerce Law and Republic Act 8792 otherwise known as an “An Act Providing and Use of Electronic Commercial and Non-Commercial transactions, Penalties for Unlawful Use Thereof and other Purposes to prosecute the hackers.

“Defacing the website is one form of hacking. We are not ruling out the possibility that those behind the defacing of government agencies’ websites belong to the same group,” NBI-ACCD chief Palmer Mallari said.

Mallari said they have come up with steps to unmask the identity of the hackers.

“Coordination with the concerned agencies will be done. Then we have to know who are web-hosting the company or companies who made their respective websites and then we are going to know the IP address used by these hackers. We are also coordinating with the telecommunication sector. After gathering the pieces of evidence, we will apply for search warrant,” he said.

SBMA, PLDT team up to push Subic’s info, communications tech potential

2010-01-07T21:47:00.001+08:00

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—After lagging behind in the race to be a leading player in the country’s growing information and communications technology (ICT) industry, the Subic Bay Free Port is now poised to blaze a trail in the knowledge-based sector and catch up with the competition this year.

Armand Arreza, administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said the agency is determined “on having Subic take the path to knowledge-based industries” by teaming up with telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) in various ICT projects in this free port.

“This would put Subic at the frontlines of the country’s information and communications technology sector,” Arreza said in a statement on Thursday.

“With PLDT as partner, the Subic Bay Free Port can now shift from labor-intensive to knowledge-based industries, guided by the emerging trends in the information-technology [IT] sector,” he said.

To seal this partnership, the SBMA and PLDT, along with PLDT subsidiary Subic Telecom (Subictel), are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) sometime this month, Arreza said.

The MOU is expected to pave the way for tripartite collaborative projects that would benefit the Subic Bay Free Port’s ICT industry.

Arreza added that the SBMA wanted to ride the anticipated boom in the ICT industry, which some IT analysts said may grow by 30 percent to 35 percent annually, and could generate 1 million new jobs in 2010 alone.

SBMA’s partner Subictel said that the joint effort would basically promote this free port’s emerging IT capabilities and enable Subic to directly compete with leading ICT players like Manila, Cebu, Davao and Laguna.

“We would like to position Subic in the forefront as one of the newest choices when it comes to ICT,” said Subictel president Dennis Magbatoc.

He said the projects would bank on PLDT’s most recent ICT investments here that are worth more than P40 million. The investments are PLDT’s fiber optics cable linking Subic to Manila and the entire Luzon grid, and the P20-million Innovation Laboratory (Innolab) that Subictel unveiled last October.

The Subic Innolab, the fifth of its kind in the country, is designed to highlight Subic Bay’s IT and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as the available and soon-to-be-offered telecoms solutions for business-process outsourcing (BPO) operations, retail and  manufacturing businesses, and even the hotel industry.

Arreza said Subictel’s IT facility, which is located beside Subic’s famous Spanish Gate landmark, has been included in the itinerary for potential investors visiting this former naval base.

“With this one-stop IT center, the SBMA will get to showcase the IT aspect of doing business in Subic, on top of its other strengths, like strategic location, tax and duty-free perks, highly skilled manpower, superb support industries and infrastructure, and a highly secured and tourist-friendly environment,” said Arreza.

He added that when it comes to IT support, the Subic Free Port now “has everything and anything you need,” echoing the “fully loaded” theme of the Innolab facility.

To further encourage knowledge-based industries, Arreza also said the SBMA has approved the shift in Subic’s development program to vertical expansion.

This would allow the construction of tall buildings that could accommodate a full range of BPO and IT-related services like back-office outsourcing, software and games development, engineering design and digital animation Arreza said. Written by Henry Empeño / Business Mirror Correspondent

Prof Danny Piano, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce President, Councilor Ed Piano, Chairman of Olongapo City Telecom and IT Board, and Hon. Armand Arreza talked about the latest in telecommunications in Olongapo City Subic Bay Freeport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTT2jCWf7Lw

Reorganize NTC

2010-01-03T09:26:00.000+08:00

By: Jester P. Manalastas - People's journal

TWO lawmakers proposed the reorganization of the National Telecommunications Commission to meet the rapid developments in information and communication technologies.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte have filed House Bill 6968 seeking to reorganize and strengthen the powers of the NTC.

Romualdez called for the immediate approval of the bill, saying that governments of other countries have devoted efforts towards the development and management of information systems to streamline and improve efficiency in the delivery of basic services to the people.

Villafuerte said it has become imperative for the government to provide a regulatory environment to develop a viable, adequate, efficient and universal information and communications sector using the best available and affordable technologies.

“Universal access to reliable and affordable services must be ensured and the interest and welfare of both the industry players and the consuming public must be protected,” he said.

Aside from granting the NTC fiscal autonomy, it shall have jurisdiction over all persons and entities engaged in the operation and/or provision of information and communications telecommunications, broadcast, cable TV and other multi-media infrastructure and services.

It shall also have the power to establish standards, specifications, measures, guidelines, rules and regulations that will govern the operations of service providers in the areas of information and communications technology, broadcast, cable TV and other multi-media service providers.

Under the bill, the NTC should establish a rigorous training program which includes the setting up of training center for its personnel to enhance the technical and regulatory competence of the Commission in the monitoring and enforcement of laws, rules and regulations and compliance thereof.

NTC expanding telco billing reform

2009-12-07T00:00:00.001+08:00

Written by Miguel R. Camus / Business Mirror Reporter

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) plans to expand its newly implemented billing scheme currently covering calls among cell phone users, to include those made to wireless and traditional landlines.

On Sunday, the regulator started a billing regime which effectively requires telecommunication firms to charge local cell phone-to-cell phone calls by six second “pulses” instead of the traditional per-minute charge.

Based on the rates approved by the NTC, the cost of a full minute should not exceed the assumed prevailing rate of P7.50, thereby giving consumers the option to pay for the time actually used at no extra cost.

Beyond this, the NTC is also working on new rules to include wireless and traditional landlines in the per pulse billing scheme.

“Eventually this will follow,” said NTC deputy commissioner Douglas Michael N. Mallillin at the sidelines of a press briefing held Saturday.

He explained that there is a growing popularity for calls between cell phone and landlines, which is not covered by the six-second billing scheme. Mallillin said it makes sense for landlines to follow suit since their usage might drop if consumers feel that they can save more through cell phone-to-cell phone voice calls.

He declined to comment on a specific time frame, however, noting that public hearings in Congress will still have to be held.

This is part of the NTC’s longer term goal to bring down local mobile call billing on a per-second charge, similar to the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“We are going on six and eventually [if we can] per second,” said Mallillin.

Already ahead of this, Ayala-led Globe Telecom offered a new per second billing scheme to coincide with the NTC regime.

Globe and Touch Mobile users will be charged 5 centavos per second on Sunday and 10 centavos per second for the rest of the week.

This amounts to P3 per minute on Sunday and P6 per minute from Monday to Saturday.

"We hope to stimulate and drive call usage among heavy texters, especially during this season," said Globe president Ernest L. Cu.

The landmark six-second pulse billing was a result of the collaboration—in the wake of a clamor from consumer groups—between the NTC, the Philippine Senate and major telecommunication firms Sun Cellular, Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc.

The rules, which took effect 12:01 a.m. Sunday, will initially cover intra-network calls (meaning those within the same network such as Globe to Globe, Smart to Smart and Sun to Sun calls). Cross-network calls for the new regime will start on December 16, after the major telcos asked for an extension to prepare their systems.

The major telcos had earlier asked the NTC to move the implementation date to the end of January 2010, citing difficulties arising from increased network traffic in December.

The new regime is also assigned as the default billing mode, meaning subscribers can be charged on the minute-per-pulse basis if they actively enroll in those schemes.

Under the rule, the NTC said that for the 10 six- second pulses in a minute, the first two pulses or 12 seconds shall not exceed the “flagdown rate” of P3; while the remaining eight shall not exceed the P7.50 prevailing rate for the full minute.

For instance, at the flagdown rate of P3 with the succeeding pulses costing P0.56 each, the total bill for a 30-second voice call will only be P4.59 compared to the full-minute charge of P7.50 under the old scheme.

The cost per pulse for succeeding minutes after the first will cost P0.75 each.

“The consuming public will be happier with this regime. The [new] system is already an advantage to the consuming public,” said Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile at the briefing.

Smart Communications and Sun Celluar officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. Globe

Mallillin said the NTC will monitor the new rates over the next two to three months to determine the effects on the telco firms and consumers.

Globe introduce WIMAX broadband

2009-11-25T21:32:00.000+08:00

By subictimes.com

SUBIC BAY Freeport: Globe Telecoms announced its newest wireless broadband technology in an effort to bring more and more Filipinos closer together.

To date, Globe has the largest Wimax network in South East Asia, and will be doubling its current footprint in the coming months, allowing Globe to reach more Filipino families.

WIMAX or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is designed to enable the deployment of wireless broadband access as a cost-efficient alternative to existing services from cable and DSL.

One of the most useful qualities of WIMAX is its improved reach versus other wireless technologies; this means that WIMAX can cover distances greater than those covered by WI-FI, CDMA or even 3G and HSPA. When it commercially launched in Feb. 2009, Globe’s network was also the first 2.5 Ghz WIMAX (802.16 e) broadband network in South East Asia.

WIMAX is a self-install broadband kit, allowing the user to get an internet connection right away.

According to Globe officials the kit is plug and play, which would be easier for customers who buys the kit.

The modems come with interesting designs made by noted top fashion designers James Reyes and Puey Quinones, making the modems a good conversation talk piece.

Self-install Wimax is available in selected Globe stores in Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Cebu, Bohol. Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos.

NTC gives nod to Clark, Subic phone interconnection

2009-11-19T13:44:00.001+08:00

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has given the go-ahead signal to an initiative to interconnect the two telephone systems operating in Clark and Subic Freeports, saying the interconnection “are within NTC existing rules and regulations.”

The go-ahead signal is contained in a letter sent by NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba to Clark Development Corp.’s Angelo “Sonny” Lopez Jr. in response to the latter’s query on the legality of such interconnection.

Lopez, through the Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC), has requested a certificate or clearance showing that the proposed interconnection of phone lines has not violated NTC rules and regulations.

The MCAC has been pushing for the interconnection of Clark and Subic phone lines following the success of the interconnection of Clark phone lines with other telecommunications providers in Pampanga.

CDC President Benigno Ricafort, Lopez, PLDT Clark manager Lito Mercado, PEP TV President Dennis Uy and Cabinet Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan have been the forerunners of the interconnection project which has been cited by President Arroyo.

In December 2008, President Arroyo bestowed an award to Clark officials led by CDC’s Ricafort for the telecommunications interconnection project that was one of the top winners of the 1st Gawad Pampublikong Korporasyon (1st GPK).

Ricafort said the CDC’s winning entry was conceived in 2001 and aims to interconnect Clark’s telephone lines with those in Angeles City and the City of San Fernando, as well as other areas in the province of Pampanga.

He said that the interconnection project was an initiative of the MCAC – an influential partnership group between the CDC and contingent local government units within the Metro Clark area.

Lopez said the project paved the way for phone companies like the PLDT, Smart Telecommunications and Digitel to provide toll-free call to its subscribers in Clark abd the rest of Pampanga.

Lopez, who heads MCAC secretariat, said the residents, locators and investors inside the Clark Freeport are now saving at least 13.2 million yearly on long distance calls because of the project.

“The CDC alone was saved as much as P1.2 million per year since this project was implemented,” he said.

--Daily Tribune

Cyberspace seen to replace print media

2009-11-19T07:51:00.000+08:00

By: Jess V. Antiporda - Peoples Journal

THERE is an uptrend on the use of digital media by advertisers and if this would continue the cyberspace could take over the print media as among the mediums being used by advertisers in product promotion.

In a weekly PAGCOR sponsored Kapihan ng Bayan Forum held at Daungan restaurant in Quezon City, Jones Campos, Public Relations Chairman of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress, said digital advertising is slowly gaining popularity because of the popularity of social networking sites at the internet like Face book, Friendster, Twitter and the likes.

“Access to internet is so easy these days, unlike in the past wherein internet can only be access through internet café, offices, and homes but to date anybody can access the web through cellular phones, laptop and notebooks practically anywhere,” he explained during the PAGCOR sponsored forum.

Although he said that print media like the newspapers, tabloids, magazine remains third as the most popular medium for advertisements, there is a chance that the internet could come close to the print medium.

“If the uptrend will continue then we could feel changes within two to three years from now,” Campos explained.

ICTs are vital to disaster management–Angara

2009-10-27T06:56:00.000+08:00

In times of calamity and disaster, information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be used to deliver basic services such as decision-support systems for the agricultural and rural sectors, and improve health-care delivery to poor and far-flung areas.

Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora province called on different stakeholders during the recent ceremonial launching of the Second National ICT of the Philippines (2nd NICP) Summit held at the Fort Stotsenburg Hotel here.

“The Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering [Comste] recognizes the significance of ICTs in delivering basic services…which also recognizes the need to implement these projects through public-private partnerships, where government need not spread thinly [and therefore ineffectively] already-limited resources and can tap into the varied and thriving expertise of the private sector,” Angara said.

At least 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the 2nd NICP Summit and Convergence 2009 from November 5 to 7 at the Fontana Convention Center.

The 2nd NCIP Summit 2009 and Convergence 2009 is a back-to-back event organized by the National ICT Conference of the Philippines and spearheaded by Clark Development Corp. (CDC), the Metro Clark ICT Council and Cyber City Teleservices Inc.

The two events be will be attended by a wide variety of sectoral members of ICT in academe, ICT-related business industries and related investment projects in the country, and is supported by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology. It is sponsored by Peregrine Global Gateways, ComClark, the Savers Group of Companies, Cyber City and CDC.

Organizers include the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Clark Investors and Locators Association, the Philippine Society of Information Technology and Educators and Fontana Leisure Parks.

“I am particularly glad that the 2nd National ICT Summit has asked me to speak on global ICT opportunities and supportive government policies on ICT. This is exactly how we work in Congress and in Comste: Finding ways to leverage global experiences, technologies and opportunities with our own assets and, at the same time, provide an environment in the government where both the private and public sectors of society can be competitive,” Angara said.

“When Congress created the commission in 2007, we immediately identified IT and IT-enabled industries as one of the major players in the Philippines’ struggle for global competitiveness, identifying the IT sector as an important ‘enabler’ of many other sectors in society, especially in science and technology,” Angara added.

Metro Clark ICT council chairman George Sorio said the event will also include track sessions featuring various CICT initiatives and talks from key players in the business-process outsourcing and information-technology industry and in recognition of the important role of the ICT in advancing today’s growing business activities here and abroad. Written by Jacob Cunanan / Business Mirror Correspondent

2 Koreans nabbed for hacking Globe system

2009-10-24T03:29:00.000+08:00

By: Hector Lawas - Journal online

AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested two Koreans and a Filipino for allegedly hacking the international simple resale system of Globe Telecoms, resulting in revenue losses for the giant telecom firm and the government.

NBI director Nestor Mantaring identified the suspects as Gyoung Hwan Kim, Young Soo Yang and Adelan Adorel, all of Greenworld Plaza, President’s Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque City.

The suspects were nabbed based on the complaint of Globe Telecoms which claimed to have incurred losses amounting to P30 million in just three months because of the trio’s illegal activity.

Police said the suspects placed long distance phone calls mostly to the United States and the Middle East. But because of their hacking equipment, the calls would only register as mere “local long distance calls.”

The NBI agents raided the suspects’ lair at the Geeco Marketing Ventures, Inc. and Whizresearch Inc. in Greenworld Plaza.

BATTLING INTERNET CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

2009-10-10T20:41:00.001+08:00

(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)

http://www.preda.org/archives/2009/r09100701.html

While the watery floods killed and damaged hundreds of people in the Philippines, many of them children, another kind of flood continuously destroying the innocent lives of children and youth .That’s the flood of child pornography coming into the Philippines and more of it made here with Filipino children being abused, videotaped and transmitted over the Internet. Even during the floods, the Preda children crises center was rescuing victims of child sexual abuse. Displaced children need extra special protection from traffickers and pedophiles during calamities. Our children's homes are full to overflowing with horrific cases. Child pornography is one of the most evil stimulators leading to child sexual abuse.

The internet server providers, telephone companies and broadband providers bear the greatest responsibility for allowing this filthy internet traffic to flood our computers and corrupt our people. It can be monitored, filtered and controlled. In 2004, The British Telecom Company (BT) developed and installed the first filtering software to block access of internet customers to child pornography sites.

A child protection UK industry body, the Internet Watch Foundation monitors child porn sites and feed the BT Cleanfeed software with every child pornography web site address (URL) it can find. The program has been authorized by the European Union and it will bring in similar blocking laws in the future. Germany has also moved to pass a law to block access

This made BT one of the most admired and ethical telephone companies in the world and many have followed their example. In the Philippines, Globe, Sun and Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) and its sister company SMART have to give the good example and do this voluntarily because it is the right and good and ethical thing to do. Filtering and blocking child porn protects children from being abused and exploited in the real world in cyber porn shops and dens and then being victimized again and again virtually on the internet. These companies have enormous responsibility to act ethically on this issue.

The first to do it will reap great rewards and the gratitude of worried parents and every civil society organization, NGO, church agencies will promote the safe and Cleanfeed internet provider.

Why they don’t do it is answered by one simple word “profit”. The fear of losing customers if they introduce blocking software is in their minds. Yet if all the big internet provider companies led by PLDT-SMART agree to do it together then none would loose business. The chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart Communications Manuel Pangilinan and PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno are now challenged as never before to exercise corporate responsibility by giving the lead in protecting children on the internet by blocking child porn instead of blocking Skype, the free internet-based telephone service. If they can block Skype, they can block child porn.

This is what Internet server providers and telephone companies will have to do when the new Philippine anti-child pornography law is finally signed by President Gloria Arroyo, hopefully before the end of the year. Soon, under the new law it will be a serious crime to make, possess or distribute child pornography in the Philippines either over the internet or by any means whatsoever.

PLDT is the provider of DSL broadband in the Olongapo-Subic area and what an expensive DSL it is for a slow connection. We need fast broadband DSL to advocate children’s rights and protect them from abuse and exploitation. We at Preda and other child protection agencies should be getting the full support of PLDT for this important apostolate. What I surmise is that the numerous sex bars, clubs, and hotels, some of them using prostituted children, are downloading pornography and thus they are apparently getting the best connections speeds.

Why does PLDT need to make profits by selling connections to these sex-for-sale establishments? They are a massive monopoly and need to exercise more corporate responsibility. PLDT and all other phone companies should voluntarily block access to child pornography web sites and protect the vulnerable children. They can help turn this country, known for shameful child prostitution, to one admired for its corporate responsibility, virtue and protection of children. They can lead by good example. IF NOT, WHY NOT?

Visit www.preda.org for more related articles.

Contact Fr. Shay Cullen at the Preda Center, Upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City, Philippines.

e-mail: preda@info.com.ph

PREDA Information Office

PREDA Foundation, Inc.

www.preda.org

Ban Students in Internet Shops

2009-10-07T05:52:00.000+08:00

NAVOTAS Mayorto ban students in Internet shops

NAVOTAS Mayor Toby Tiangco yesterday reminded the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), Task Force Disiplina (TDF) and barangay officials in the city to continue enforcing the ordinance that bans grade school and high school students from entering any leisure and gaming establishments during school hours.

Tiangco also reiterated his warning to all owners and operators of Internet shops in Navotas to strictly comply with the ordinance, or else face stiff penalties, which include fines and revocation of business permits. He said they should cooperate for the benefit and protection of the students.

“Our city, school and barangay officials, even the parents of schoolchildren, need to remain vigilant to ensure strict enforcement of these regulations that aim to deter unscrupulous owners or operators from tolerating malingerer students for the sake of profit,” Tiangco said.

Enacted in September 2001, Municipal Ordinance No. 2001-03 prohibits the owners or operators of all video/computer arcades/shops in the city from allowing grade school and high school students in school uniforms to enter their establishments.

Tiangco had asked the council to pass the ordinance to address serious concerns raised by parents and teachers over the increasing incidence of cutting classes, tardiness and absenteeism among grade and high school students due to hanging out at Internet/video, arcades, and computer shops during school hours.

Recently, the said ordinance was given more teeth with the Mayor’s Executive Order, “Directing all computer shops operating within the jurisdiction of Navotas City to maintain a see- through front walls and doors of their respective establishments,” to give a clear view of all the activities inside their establishments.

Under the said order, violators of this provision or any of its other provisions face the following penalties: First offense, a fine of P1,000; Second offense, a fine of P2,000; and Third offense, a fine of P2,500 and the automatic cancellation or revocation of business permits or licenses.

LTO vows to end crime, pollution with RFID

2009-09-23T05:52:00.000+08:00

EFFECTIVE October 2009 the Land Transportation Office (LTO) will implement a cutting edge technology that will revolutionize motoring and land transportation in the country. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology will be used to enhance and speed up the vehicle registration process while providing the motoring public with many benefits that will greatly improve land transportation in the country.

RFID is a cutting edge technology that uses radio waves to identify vehicles and related information remotely and in real time. The use of this technology will allow the LTO and other law enforcement agencies to access vehicle information to aid in traffic management, law enforcement and crime prevention.

Among the many benefits that this technology will provide motorists and commuters are: First, the system is expected to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the LTO’s law enforcement capabilities, effectively improving traffic conditions via the apprehension of frequent violators and out-of-the-line vehicles. Second, air pollution will be lessened as the system will eradicate the practice of non-appearance of vehicles subject to smoke emissions testing, effectively barring smoke belchers from the streets. Third, legitimate Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers as well as commuters will be well-protected as the RFID will be able to identify and verify franchise records, thus keeping colorums off the road. And finally, it can serve as a major deterrent against carnapping because law enforcers will have access to information on possible “hot” vehicles in real time.

“The RFID technology will revolutionize land transportation in the Philippines. This is a great first step in putting order in our streets,” said Assistant Secretary Arturo Lomibao.

The new system involves the tagging of a sticker on all vehicles. The sticker contains a microchip that will store vehicle information but is completely tamper proof and can only be retrieved by authorized LTO personnel and law enforcers.

Motorists will only pay a one-time tagging fee of P350 as they register their vehicles. The LTO RFID tag is expected to last for ten years, which means that the RFID effectively costs just P35 per year. This is considerably less expensive compared to the more than P1,500 paid for other RFID technologies such as the e-pass and ec-tag.

“We are confident of the enormous benefits this technology will provide to the public in general and enjoin our motorists to have their vehicles tagged with the RFID beginning October of this year,” Lomibao added.

RFID technology has been used to manage traffic and vehicular registries in the United States, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

The LTO RFID tags will be available at all LTO offices beginning October 1, 2009. By: Jun Icban-Legaspi - JOurnal online

Text tax bill recalled

2009-09-23T05:50:00.000+08:00

DUE to growing public outrage, the House committee on ways and means has reconsidered the approval of a consolidated bill seeking to impose excise tax on every text message sent.

The committee chaired by Rep. Exequiel Javier yesterday decided to conduct more discussions to get the sentiments of various sectors, including subscribers, on the proposed five-centavo excise tax.

The panel was pressured by several groups including Malacanang and Senate to recall the bill which does not contain the “no pass on” provision, meaning subscribers, not the telecommunication companies, will shoulder the five-centavo tax.

“We find it appropriate that we suspend the approval of the bill,” Javier said, adding his panel will draft a new scheme to ensure that the five centavo excise tax will not be passed on to the consumers.

The solon said the committee will amend the bill to ensure that the public will not be burdened with additional tax.

The consolidated bill was approved on Sept. 8. Javier said members of the committee agreed to disregard the “no pass on provision” because it is difficult to impose text tax on telecommunication companies as this may affect business.

But during the deliberations yesterday, Cagayan Rep. Rufus Rodriguez moved to recall the approval of the bill to give way to more public discussions. It was seconded by Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros.

Txt Power President Tonio Cruz objected to the five-centavo tax saying it is a “direct attack against the people and not against the telcos” that are already earning billions.

Rodolfo Salalima of Globe Telecoms also opposed the tax, saying the cost of a text message is only 23 centavos and telcos are only earning two centavos for every text message. By: Jester P. Manalastas - Journal online

BPO jobs to reach 1 million in 2010

2009-09-21T09:16:00.000+08:00

By Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The booming business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the country is expected to employ at least one million Filipinos by 2010, Malacañang said yesterday.

A Palace statement said that although BPOs started in the country in the 1990s, the industry “really took off” shortly after President Arroyo assumed power in 2001.

“From 4,000 in 2001, the number of BPO workers reached 350,000 in 2007, spurred on in part by the country’s stable economic environment and by aggressive marketing abroad by the President,” the Palace said.

“There were 400,000 workers as of February 2009. It is estimated that by 2010, available jobs will be 900,000 despite the ongoing global economic slowdown,” the statement reads.

It said Mrs. Arroyo put up the “Cyber-Corridor” information and communications technology (ICT) channel running the length of the Philippines that interconnects BPO service centers all over the country, “to efficiently bring together cyber service providers and BPO locators.”

“The goal is to employ one million workers by 2010,” the statement said.

The sector’s future growth can be traced in part to the country’s two-pronged strategy. While the country will continue to offer voice-activated services, which require facility in English as well as other languages, it will also branch out to non-voice services such as medical transcription and animation as well as to the more lucrative development of software.

Mrs. Arroyo has acknowledged the sector’s remarkable performance that has helped the country achieve positive growth rates despite the global economic slowdown.

The President said the fast development of the BPO industry in the country is an example of an industry that nobody ever thought before would become a driver of growth.

“This is an example of what I said that we want to create jobs so that, for (Filipinos), it will be a career choice to go abroad and not the only choice,” Mrs. Arroyo has said in her speeches.

As of end of 2008, the sector generated $6.1 billion in revenues and is projected to reach $13 billion in 2010. This is only 6.7 percent of the estimated $326 billion global ICT outsourcing market, according to data issued by the Canada-based ICT research and advisory firm XMG Global.

The Philippines is the third top performing offshore country in the Asia Pacific, next to India and China. The Philippines is aiming for a 10 percent market share as it sells its many advantage to companies in the United States and Europe, the Palace statement said.

“These includes a steady supply of competent and educated workers, improving telecommunications infrastructures, and government incentives,” it said.

Although the majority of BPO companies are located in Metro Manila, there is a marked migration into other key economic centers of the country such as in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Subic, Bacolod and Baguio, to either be closer to their employee base or, in part, to keep their costs, such as leases, as low as possible.

To further aid the sunrise industry, government has allocated P350 million for a training program called PGMA-Training for Work Scholarship Program (PGMA-TSWP) through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP). The training program does not only cover English language proficiency but also the use of computers.

“Likewise, government is offering significant fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to attract more foreign direct investments, primarily through its Cyber Corridor project, which is part of the President’s 10-point agenda,” it said.

DOLE: Pinoys have better jobs

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that Filipinos have better jobs now despite the lingering effects of the financial crisis.

DOLE officials said the quality of employment has improved for Filipinos as indicated by results of the latest National Statistics Office (NSO) Survey.

Based on the July 2009 Labor Force Survey (LFS), DOLE said the number of wage and salary workers rose by 1.3 million compared to the same period last year, while the number of persons in full-time employment increased by half a million.

DOLE further noted that except for the Bicol region, employment rate in all regions posted growth with the National Capital Region (NCR) positing the highest gain of 142,000 more workers.

Underemployment or the number of workers looking for additional jobs went down from 21.1 percent last year to 19.8 percent.

“The drop corresponds to a reduction of 259,000 in the number of underemployed, which now stands at seven million,” DOLE officials noted.

The rate of visible or time-related underemployment dropped by a full percentage point over the period – from 12.1 percent to 11.1 percent.

Employment also continued to expand by 2.6 percent as the economy showed signs of recovery from the global financial crisis in the second quarter of the year.

Growth was posted strongest in the service sector (5.4 percent) negating the modest growth in the industry sector (2.7 percent) and the decline in the combined agriculture, fishery and forestry sector (-1.3 percent).

DOLE is currently developing a new skills registry system in an effort to make it easier for the government to assess the demand for skills in the labor market.

Acting Secretary Romeo Lagman said the envisioned skills registry has been piloted in select regions, provinces, cities and municipalities, and its full implementation will kick off in October.

Lagman said the planned National Skills Registry System (SRS) will combine the existing skills registries of PhilJob.net and the Public Employment Service Office.

He said the SRS is a computerized system which captures and updates in a register skills and qualifications of interested workers.

The system also lists down establishments and their job vacancies in the community for quick access by jobseekers and employers, both local and foreign.

Unlike the existing skills registries of PhilJob.net and the PESOs, the SRS is live and dynamic because it will be regularly updated and tied up to the relevant educational background of jobseekers and the needs of the employers.

“Ultimately, the SRS will solve the country’s perennial problem of jobs mismatch,” Lagman said. – With Mayen Jaymalin

What? A tax relief for telecoms?

2009-09-20T22:18:00.001+08:00

Opinion Written by Butch del Castillo / Business Mirror = Omerta

We sometimes refer to Congress as a legislative “mill.” It is, after all, like a complex processing plant. It refines raw ideas (bills) into semifinished products called drafts of proposed laws.

But if it is a kind of “processing plant,” how come our Congress has often been criticized for being excruciatingly slow in acting on some of the most urgent bills, but remarkably efficient and fast in approving other pieces of legislation? Well, folks, the answer is obviously no other than “lubrication.” Lubrication is that efficacious substance that makes the wheels and gears of Congress turn with remarkable smoothness and speed. In our bicameral system, the legislative mill we call Congress is made up of two independent processing plants. Each one consists of a complex system of wheels and gears called committees and subcommittees. Each wheel or gear quickens in its efficiency only when well-oiled or—more aptly put, greased. Sometimes, the natural oil that our lawmakers produce out of a zeal to do right by their constituencies or pure love of country is sufficient. More often than not, however, the grease is provided by special interest lobby groups. It is this kind of lubrication that produces miraculous results.

In the House of Representatives only this week, for example, we saw a fine example of how this kind of greasing can perk up the enthusiasm of some of the members of the House ways and means committee to push a particular piece of legislation.

This committee—according to accounts made by members of the House press corps—reported out a number of proposed measures for plenary debates. It was discovered, however, that among the measures that were reported out was one that was never discussed in committee deliberations, at least in the recollection of party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz.

Had Representative de la Cruz not raised a howl against it, the “smuggled” bill would have been calendared for plenary debates (plenary debates are a prelude to approval or disapproval by the House of any proposed law).

How this bill was “smuggled” out of the committee level (“railroaded” was the term used by our good congressmen) is a mystery my friend Jonath was still trying to solve as of this writing yesterday. In remarks made on and off the floor, according to the House reporters, de la Cruz lamented that on the one hand, his colleagues in the committee were strongly supportive of a bill imposing higher “sin” taxes (on tobacco and liquor) to increase the government’s tax take and thus pare down its huge budgetary deficit. But the same committee members also seem to back the idea of depriving the government of a fairer share of the huge net profits being raked in by these telecoms firms.

In other words, these overzealous congressmen don’t mind driving the tobacco producers of northern Luzon (his fellow Ilocanos) out of business by imposing bigger sin taxes. And yet they also want to grant these affluent telecoms firms a tax relief by legislative fiat. If passed, the bill would allow these companies to pay much less than the paltry amount of taxes they are paying now.

The bill angrily questioned by de la Cruz proposes to exempt some P30 billion in profits made by the telecom firms from any income tax assessment. (Copies of the highly questionable bill yesterday somehow suddenly became scarce. But I’ll get one and take it up again in this column the next time around.)

Figures provided by the Department of Finance show that the five providers of wireless telephone service alone (cell-phone companies) had combined revenues of P175.586 billion last year. The government’s share (in income taxes) of that huge income was only P21.448 billion.

The popular sentiment has always been to tax them a little more to help the government out of its fiscal predicament. But these companies have consistently resisted such an idea by simply threatening to pass on any additional tax burden to cell-phone users. This threat has been very effective in keeping Congress at bay on this ticklish question.

All the cell-phone companies have never had it so good, with their sales rising phenomenally for the past five years. They are, in fact, riding the crest of a sales boom that is not expected to flatten out in the next five. Why would they want to deprive the government of its fair share of their rich pickings?

ICT rebound slows down foreign direct investment decline

2009-09-19T09:39:00.000+08:00

Total approved foreign direct investments (FDIs) in April-June declined for the third straight quarter but at a slower rate due to a rebound in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

"After four quarters of continuous decline, committed investments intended for the ICT industry rebounded, growing by 220.9% from P2 billion a year ago to P6.5 billion in [the second quarter of] 2009," according to the second quarter FDI Quarterly Report released on Friday by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

The ICT sector’s contribution has tempered the quarter-on-quarter FDI decline, reflecting an economic recovery although at a slow pace.

"Although [the second quarter performance] marks the third consecutive quarter of declines in approved FDI, the decline is lower than the declines registered in the previous two quarters, an indication that the global crisis may be over," NSCB Secretary-General Romulo A. Virola said in a statement accompanying the report.

Second-quarter FDIs approved by four investment promotion agencies posted a 73% drop to P19.9 billion from P73.9 billion year-on-year, the report said.

The FDI report covered four investment promotion agencies — Board of Investments (BoI), Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Earlier NSCB reports showed total approved FDIs in the first quarter reached its lowest level in 13 years at P4 billion, declining by 80.9% year-on-year This is a percentage point lower than the fourth quarter 2008 drop of 79.2% to P21.4 billion.

The pick-up in FDIs will continue "considering that the global recession is easing," Bureau of Investments (BoI) Managing Head Elmer C. Hernandez said in a text message on Friday.

For his part, BoI Executive Director Efren V. Leaño said in a separate interview on Friday "there’s a big probability of a contraction" of investment pledges approved by the BoI and PEZA compared to the Trade department projection of up to 3.7% growth.

"But based on the interest we received from missions, it will be better in 2010 and 2011," he added.

The upbeat outlook, however, defied the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s World Investment Report released on Thursday that predicted FDI flows to Southeast Asian countries will only recover by 2011.

On a per country basis, Korea led all other countries, committing about 25.6% of total FDI applications or P5.1 billion for the second quarter. Hong Kong and Japan followed at 19% and 12.8%, respectively. It was the first time since the third quarter of 2000 that Hong Kong has landed in the top three countries with P3.8 billion in pledges.

"Hong Kong investments were mostly intended to fund projects in finance and real estate industry," the quarterly report noted.

Per sector, finance and real estate posted the highest FDIs as commitments quadrupled to P7.6 billion in the second quarter from P1.9 billion in 2008. Private services was second at P6.6 billion, down 53.2% from last year.

The report added that a total of 29,006 jobs are expected to be generated from the FDIs approved in April-June, over half of which will come from private services.

During the period, investment promotion agency PEZA contributed the lion’s share at 63.6% equivalent to P12.7 billion worth of commitments, followed by SBMA (13.3%), CDC (12.3%) and BoI (10.8%).

CDC recorded the highest growth in FDI approvals with 38.8% while BoI registered the largest decline at 95.9 percent, the report said. — M. P. T Jamias

RP's poor showing in business surveys may harm BPO sector

2009-09-15T04:21:00.000+08:00

By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (The Philippine Star)

The Philippines may lose its edge against its competitors in the business process outsourcing (BPO) due to the country’s poor showing in business surveys.

Preliminary results of an industry survey conducted by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) and Out-source2Philippines (O2P) suggest that persistent negative publicity–such as poor showings in business surveys –are taking a toll on the Philippines’ brand image.

The survey showed that negative perception of the Philippines, including the tight labor market for knowledge workers, is increasingly viewed as a significant risk factor by the industry.

In spite of this, industry executives remain upbeat on the Philippines and still anticipate a further expansion. Respondents to the survey were BPO executives working in the Philippines.

The complete results will be released at the end of the month in the next regular CEO breakfast briefing conducted by BPA/P and O2P.

The preliminary data show that 51 percent of respondents indicated that “negative perception” of the Philippines is a level one, two, or three risk factor associated with doing business in the Philippines, and 20 percent said it is a level one factor.

A slightly lower percentage, 49 percent said the “tight labor market” is a level one, two, or three risk factor in their view, but 23 percent of respondents said it was a level one risk factor.

However, when respondents were asked to gauge the competitiveness of the Philippines, a majority of respondents or 56 percent indicated that doing business in the Philippines is less risky or much less risky than doing business in India.

India dominates the BPO industry, and is the world’s biggest provider of outsourced services. The Philippines is generally considered the number two provider of offshore outsourced services.

About 45 percent of respondents said that compared to India doing business in the Philippines involves about the same risk, more risk, or much more risk.

BPA/P chief executive Oscar Sañez said that the Philippine BPO industry is on track to expand approximately 20 percent this year, from $6.1 billion last year. The BPO industry employs approximately 400,000 Filipinos in a wide range of sectors.

Lapus to private sector: Promote ICT education

2009-09-13T10:36:00.001+08:00

EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus has enjoined the private sector to work closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) in promoting learning systems enhanced with information communication technology to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

“Enhancing the curriculum with ICT is the only way for our public school- children to meet the challenges of 21st century learning,” Lapus said.

Lapus made the appeal during the turnover of 40 Intel Classmate PCs to public schoolchildren in Concepcion, Tarlac recently.

“We thank our partners in Intel for investing in education and for supporting our major thrust to introduce technology in education. This intervention would not have been possible without their support to DepEd through the Adopt-A-School Program,” Lapus said.

A Classmate PC includes two gigabytes of memory storage and Microsoft office. It is Internet-ready, portable, and user-friendly for children.

At present, 280 Classmate PCs have been turned over by DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program to public schools in Pampanga, Baguio City, Sagada and Taytay, Rizal. Some 400 Classmate PCs are scheduled for turn-over to other DepEd elementary schools in different divisions nationwide. Jeffrey C. Tiangco Journal.com.ph

Enrile thumbs down text metering system

2009-09-13T10:35:00.001+08:00

SENATE President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday opposed the proposal for government to install a metering system that would monitor the text messaging sales of telecommunication companies under a tax-on-text measure emanating from the House of Representatives.

Enrile said he agreed with the concern raised by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez that the metering system could violate the Filipino’s right to privacy as the telcos had admitted that such a system could be used to read other people’s text messages.

Likewise, even if a metering system would not infringe on the privacy of consumers, Enrile said it would entail unnecessary cost to be incurred by the government.

“The metering system may be good in principle but will it be financially feasible considering the high costs of the metering machines?” said Enrile. Purportedly, the system would ensure that telcos would be honest in declaring their profit from text messages for the purpose of paying taxes.

Earlier, Enrile had outright turned down the House proposal to tax texting, saying such a measure would surely not pass in the Senate.

He explained that tax on text would only be acceptable to him if the burden of paying the same would not be passed on by telcos to consumers.

“For example, the current P1 per text rate can be reduced to 80 centavos and government can get a 10 percent tax on that rate. That way, after the tax, telcos still collect 72 centavos per text message,” said Enrile.

“It will be fair because it ensures that the tax burden will not be passed on to consumers,” he added. Journal.com.ph

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FACT SHEET NO. 304

2009-09-02T21:08:00.002+08:00

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs304/en/index.html

Electromagnetic fields and public health

BASE STATIONS AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

Mobile telephony is now commonplace around the world. This wireless technology relies upon an extensive network of fixed antennas, or base stations, relaying information with radiofrequency (RF) signals. Over 1.4 million base stations exist worldwide and the number is increasing significantly with the introduction of third generation technology.

Other wireless networks that allow high-speed internet access and services, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs), are also increasingly common in homes, offices, and many public areas (airports, schools, residential and urban areas). As the number of base stations and local wireless networks increases, so does the RF exposure of the population. Recent surveys have shown that the RF exposures from base stations range from 0.002% to 2% of the levels of international exposure guidelines, depending on a variety of factors such as the proximity to the antenna and the surrounding environment. This is lower or comparable to RF exposures from radio or television broadcast transmitters.

There has been concern about possible health consequences from exposure to the RF fields produced by wireless technologies. This fact sheet reviews the scientific evidence on the health effects from continuous low-level human exposure to base stations and other local wireless networks.

In fact, due to their lower frequency, at similar RF exposure levels, the body absorbs up to FIVE TIMES more of the signal from FM radio and television than from base stations/Cellsites. This is because the frequencies used in FM radio (around 100 MHz) and in TV broadcasting (around 300 to 400 MHz) are lower than those employed in mobile telephony (900 MHz and 1800 MHz) and because a person's height makes the body an efficient receiving antenna. Further, radio and television broadcast stations have been in operation for the past 50 or more years without any adverse health consequence being established.

Cancer: Media or anecdotal reports of cancer clusters around mobile phone base stations have heightened public concern. It should be noted that geographically, cancers are unevenly distributed among any population. Given the widespread presence of base stations in the environment, it is expected that possible cancer clusters will occur near base stations merely by chance. Moreover, the reported cancers in these clusters are often a collection of different types of cancer with no common characteristics and hence unlikely to have a common cause.

Scientific evidence (from studies by National Cancer Institute) on the distribution of cancer in the population can be obtained through carefully planned and executed epidemiological studies. Over the past 15 years, studies examining a potential relationship between RF transmitters and cancer have been published. These studies have NOT provided evidence that RF exposure from the transmitters/Cellsites increases the risk of cancer.

MOBILE PHONE RADIATION AND HEALTH FACTS

2009-09-02T21:04:00.001+08:00

Many scientific studies have investigated possible health effects of mobile phone radiations. These studies are occasionally reviewed by some scientific committees to assess overall risks. The most recent assessment was published in 2007 by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks. It concludes from the available research that no significant health effect has been demonstrated from mobile phone radiation at normal exposure levels:

Normal exposure to mobile phone radiation cannot cause headaches or dizziness, nor can it cause brain cancers, neurological effects or reproductive effects.

The World Health Organization, based upon the consensus view of the scientific and medical communities, states that cancer is unlikely to be caused by cellular phones or their base stations and that reviews have found no convincing evidence for other health effects

HEALTH ISSUES OF HANDSETS

Radiation absorption

Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone handset are absorbed by the human head. The radio waves emitted by a GSM handset, can have a peak power of 2 watts, and a US analogue phone had a maximum transmit power of 3.6 watts. Other digital mobile technologies, such as CDMA2000 and D-AMPS, use lower output power, typically below 1 watt, UVA. The maximum power output from a mobile phone is regulated by the mobile phone standard it is following and by the regulatory agencies in each country

The cell phone and the base station or CELL SITE check reception quality and signal strength and the power level is increased or decreased automatically, within a certain span, to accommodate for different situations such as DISTANCE FROM SITE, inside or outside of buildings and moving vehicles.

Which simply means that it is to the advantage of a user/consumer if they are within a reasonable distance from a cell site.

The health risks (ON-LINE ENCYCLOPEDIA)

Despite extensive research on the subject, there has been no conclusive evidence that using a mobile phone causes long term harmful effects in humans.

Mobile phone antennas, base stations and CELL SITES

There's been a lot of controversy about radio antennas, mobile phone antennas and their emissions causing leukemia and other diseases. (Note it is the actual antenna itself that emits radio waves, not the structure that supports it.) The truth is, there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other, but here are few facts about levels of radiation transmission from mobile phone antennas:

• to get a dose of radiation considered dangerous from a mobile/cell phone transmission antenna, you'd have to be almost touching it

• the antennas don't beam directly down so don't 'blow' radiation directly onto us below and the towers that support the antennas don't emit radiation

• radiation dramatically and rapidly decreases as you move away from the mast - 10 meters away, the dose is 0.1% of what it was at 1 meter away; 0.0125% at 20 meters away and so on, thus a 50 watt antenna has the effect of only 0.6 watt at 20 meters away. In contrast DZRH emits 50 Kilowatt power yet there is no documented cancer case caused by its transmission.

Cordoba to NTC

2009-08-27T10:03:00.000+08:00

By: Tess Bedico - Journal online

PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed former Palace official Gamaliel Cordoba as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission.

Cordoba replaced Ruel Canobas who resigned from the NTC to attend to his sick wife.

Cordoba has been part of the Arroyo administration since 2001 holding various positions in the Office of the President as chief of the Presidential Chief of Staff; assistant executive secretary and undersecretary in the Office of the Executive Secretary and Appointments Secretary.

He was also former director of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Toll-free hotline for mobile phone subscribers proposed

2009-08-21T12:36:00.000+08:00

Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) has recommended that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) put up a consumer help desk and toll-free hotline to enable mobile phone subscribers to immediately report problems concerning their carriers.

Gordon also proposed that the NTC require mobile phone content providers to come up with a double opt-in system for subscription services so that consumers are aware of the amount they have to pay and the frequency of the services they are about to subscribe to.

“What we want to do is protect the public by having a toll-free hotline by the NTC. For example, if a person receives spam text messages, he could call the NTC, who should immediately investigate and must have the authority to cut down the number and even track it down,” he said.

The senator explained that he is not convinced that the NTC should eliminate promotional messages altogether because it is also good for business in the country and provides employment, but it has to ensure that the public has a recourse if and when content providers become abusive.

Gordon said the NTC should require carriers or content providers to identify their names or the names of the companies providing the services in all messages sent to subscribers. These carriers should also put up a toll-free number and a zero tariff short code wherein subscribers, even if they have no load, can text or call to cancel or quit from any service.

By ROLLY T. CARANDANG - Manila Bulletin

New bill targets cyber sex den operators

2009-07-31T23:45:00.000+08:00

By: Jester P. Manalastas - Journal online

IN a bid to stop the proliferation of cyber sex scandals, Buhay party-list Rep. Irwin Tieng has filed a measure seeking to penalize the operation of cyber sex dens.

Tieng’s House Bill 6626 bans a person or groups from maintaining or operating a den or any place like house, apartment and condominium for cyber sex activities or exhibition of private acts.

According to the solon, these dens employ minors who are forced to perform sexual acts for ogling foreigners who watch them through the internet for a substantial fee.

The bill, called “Anti-Cyber Sex Den Act,” proposes a penalty of 12 years imprisonment and a fine from P100,000 to P500,000 for violators.

“If minors are employed, operators face the penalty of life imprisonment while government officials face maximum penalties. Foreigners found violating the proposed law shall, after service of sentence, be deported immediately without further proceedings,” Tieng said.

He noted that with the increasing number of internet hubs and computer shops, cyber crimes also proliferate. Operators remained unpunished due to lack of proper laws that will deal with immoral and indecent acts, the solon said.

Tieng said the government needs to adopt a measure to penalize and eventually curb cyber sex crimes which threaten the morals of Filipinos, especially the youth. Buhay Representatives Rene Velarde and Ma. Carissa Coscolluela co-authored the bill.

High Court rules on telcos firm

2009-07-29T14:56:00.002+08:00

The Supreme Court (SC) has declared final its ruling that Smart Communications, Inc. is not exempt form the payment of franchise tax to local governments.

In a resolution written by Justice Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, the SC denied Smart’s motion to reconsider last year’s decision that dismissed its petition challenging the franchise tax of 75 percent of one per cent gross annual receipts imposed by the local government of Davao City.

Last year, the SC ruled that Smart unlike Globe Telecom, Inc., is not exempt from franchise tax that may be imposed by municipal, city, or provincial governments.

The decision affirmed the July 19, 2002 order of the Davao City regional trial court (RTC) which dismissed the petition filed by Smart with a ruling that “the ambiguity of the ‘in lieu of all taxes’ provision in RA No. 7295 (Smart’s legislative franchise) on whether it covers both national and local taxes must be resolved against the taxpayer.”

From an unfavorable RTC ruling, Smart elevated the issue before the SC.

Section 9 of RA 7295 provides that “…the grantee, its successors or assigns shall pay a franchise tax equivalent to three per cent of all gross receipts of the business… and the said percentage shall be in lieu of all taxes on this franchise or earnings thereof.”

Smart claimed that the “in lieu of all taxes” clause in Section 9 of its franchise exempts it from all taxes, both local and national, except the national franchise tax (now value added tax), income tax, and real property tax.

By. Rey G. Panaligan – Manila Bulletin

Mas matagal na gamit ng prepaid loads ipatutupad na—NTC

2009-07-19T10:30:00.001+08:00

PINAAALALAHAN ng National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ang mga telecommunication companies (telcos) na ngayong araw na ito (Linggo ) ipapatupad ang panibagong panuntunan para sa pagpapahaba ng validity ng pre-paid cell phone loads.

Ngayong araw na ito, Hulyo 19 matatapos ang 15-araw na publikasyon ng bagong panuntunan ng NTC na ayon kay NTC Commissioner Ruel Canobas ay wala nang extension.

Ayon sa ulat, magiging triple ang haba ng bawat pre-paid loads, halimbawa ang P10 load na dati ay tatagal lamang ng isang araw, sa bagong panuntunan ay magiging tatlong araw na.

Kaugnay nito, sa Hulyo 23 na rin umano ipapatupad ang isa pang panuntunan ng komisyon kung saan ipagbabawal na ang mga spam messages tulad ng pagpapadala ng mga promotions at advertisements sa mga subscribers.

Aminado naman ang NTC na mababa pa rin ang ipapataw na parusa laban sa mga hindi susunod na telcos dahil ayon sa lumang batas P200 lang bawat araw ang multa ng mga kompanya kung mayroon ang mga itong paglabag. Taliba wire monitoring

Telcos get reprieve from new ‘load’ rule

2009-07-16T21:39:00.001+08:00

REGULATORS YESTERDAY suspended the implementation of a section in a new memorandum circular extending the validity of prepaid mobile phone airtime credits, saying elecommunication providers need more time in developing software needed to comply with new rules.

Ruel V. Canobas, head of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), told reporters Section 4 of the circular was suspended until further notice due to telcos’ lack of preparation.

The provision states that "for each new load that is purchased, the amount of the unused loads earlier purchased that are still within the validity period shall be added to and accumulate to the new load. The new minimum validity or expiry period shall be based on the sum of the new load plus the unused load."

But Mr. Canobas clarified that the circular extending the expiration of mobile phone "loads" will still take effect on July 19.

Ramon R. Isberto, spokesman for Smart Communications, Inc., said programming changes required to comply with the guidelines may take several months.

Globe Telecom, Inc.’s regulatory affairs chief Froilan M. Castelo agreed, explaining: "[Our suppliers] said development of software will take two to four months plus the testing period." Globe Telecom will follow the old setup or the "roll forward rule," wherein the validity of the remaining prepaid credit follows that of new credits loaded if it is longer.

Digital Telecommunication Phils., Inc., echoed Globe Telecom’s position. "We are asking NTC if our current setup could be considered as compliance already since it is almost the same as the proposed guideline," said William S. Pamintuan, vice-president for legal affairs.

The new circular states that loads valued at P10 or lower are valid for three days. For loads worth P10 to P50, the validity period is 15 days; P50-P100, 30 days; P100-P150, 45 days; P150-P250, 60 days; P250-P300, 75 days; and more than P300, 120 days. — Jeremiah F. de Guzman

IBM-GSIS row heats up over faulty database

2009-07-08T22:40:00.000+08:00

By Alexander Villafania - INQUIRER.net

The dispute over the problematic database system of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) continues to worsen as the government agency’s legal counsel accused IBM of providing a defective product.

IBM is guilty of false advertising for denying customers with proper after-sales services, GSIS chief legal counsel Estrella Elamparo said in a statement, saying the technology company sold the agency a “lemon”, a derogatory term for a defective product.

She also said that the “special build” to fix the constant crashes of the GSIS’s Integrated Loans, Membership, Acquired Assets and Accounts Management System (ILMAAAMS) did not work, describing it as a “clunker.”

She also claimed that IBM’s Canada Laboratories admitted to having supplied GSIS with a defective product.

“IBM cannot smokescreen the fact that its database management software caused a crash in the GSIS system at just two terabytes of data when that software was purportedly able to handle 512 million terabytes,” Elamparo said.

IBM Philippines countered Elamparo’s accusations with an official statement, stating that IBM provided free support to the agency even if it was not involved in the implementation of the ILMAAAMS.

The company also said that it sent two special builds developed in IBM’s Toronto Lab to the GSIS in May, a few weeks after the series of crashes suffered by ILMAAAMS. IBM claimed that the second special build is already working successfully.

IBM also belied Elamparo’s claims that IBM Laboratories in Canada admitted to problems with their product and that it was not them who directly supplied the product to GSIS.

At the center of the controversy is IBM’s DB2 database software, which was the main application for ILMAAAMS. The GSIS first suffered crashes in April this year, which became more frequent in the following weeks.

IBM and the ILMAAAMS system integrator Questronix argued that GSIS failed to implement critical disaster recovery measures to prevent problems. They also stated that GSIS’s corrupted back ups worsened their situation.

GSIS filed a P100 million suit against IBM, its Philippine subsidiary, and Questronix for breach of contract. GSIS added a libel case against Questronix for allegedly making false claims that were published.

IBM countersued with a P200 million libel suit.

‘Highly unusual’ data handling caused GSIS database system crash, says IBM

2009-07-06T23:46:00.000+08:00

‘Highly unusual’ data handling caused GSIS database system crash, says IBM

IBM PHILIPPINES, Inc. has rejected allegations of inefficiency and negligence made by erstwhile client Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), saying it has provided enough technical support for the state pension fund’s database system.

IBM said during the weekend that it actively participated in fixing GSIS’s database after it crashed in March despite having no contract and involvement in the supply design or installation of the system.

"IBM Philippines completely rejects the assertions made by the GSIS against IBM and its affiliates in paid newspaper and television advertisements," IBM said.

"This year, IBM Philippines celebrates its 72nd anniversary of serving our clients in the Philippines. During IBM Philippines’ long history as a member of this business community, it has always attempted to resolve issues with clients in a constructive and respectful manner."

Sun cell sites approved

2009-07-05T22:55:00.000+08:00

2009 R - 82 - A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE APPLICATION OF DIGITEL TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. (SUN CELLULAR) FOR THE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF CELLSITE/GSM ANTENNA AT BARANGAY EAST TAPINAC, OLONGAPO CITY

2009 R - 81 - A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE APPLICATION OF DIGITEL TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. (SUN CELLULAR) FOR THE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF CELLSITE/GSM ANTENNA AT BARANGAY NEW ASINAN, OLONGAPO CITY

‘Scrap expiration of prepaid load’

2009-07-05T07:22:00.000+08:00

By: Jeffrey C. Tiangco - Journal online

THERE should be no expiration date on prepaid cellphone loads.

Thus said Kabataan Party-list group in the wake of mounting complaints of “vanishing loads” from consumers.

The group said they welcome the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) new order compelling telecommunication firms to triple the shelf life of prepaid cell phone loads. The NTC issued the directive last Friday.

Kabataan, however, insisted that NTC should scrap the expiration of prepaid load altogether.

“Increasing the shelf life of prepaid load is not enough to address the concerns of millions of subscribers. The rationale behind prepaid expiration dates is that telcos are dictating how consumers should use their purchased load for them to be able to rake in more profits,” the group said.

“Kapag may expiration kasi, mas mapapadalas ang pagbili ng load. Binili na ’yan ng consumer, it is their prerogative if they opt na tipirin ang load to last according to their budget. Hindi naman ito katulad ng pagkain or medicine na mapapanis o masisira kapag hindi nagamit agad,” they added.

Citing a research from consumer advocacy group TxtPower, the group said telecommunication companies have been guilty of “dagdag-bawas” for years now.

Earlier, TxtPower filed a complaint due to telcos network inaccessibility that included sending and receiving messages problems, busy network on call attempts, lack of network coverage, expiring and disappearing load credits.

“Consumers are burdened with high charges for mobile services, mysterious vanishing of prepaid load, and unwanted text ads and ringtones,” the group said.

They added that recent survey also recorded 28 percent of the complaints deals on dropped calls and 7 percent on inaccurate billing.

Earlier, the youth party-list group launched a public service announcement in YouTube entitled, “Nawalang load? May magagawa ka!” The video may be viewed at http://tiny.cc/M47Vj as it urged cellphone users to send in their complaints to the NTC, TxtPower and Kabataan office at the Batasan Pambansa Building in Quezon City.

Consumers may also text in their complaints to the TxtPower hotline 09071134503 or log on to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/233606, or coordinate directly with Kabataan by sending an email to cong.mongpalatino@gmail.com

“We encourage cellphone users to exercise their right to complain and at the same time aid in the sufficient documentation of these cases. Complaints from subscribers can be used for future legislation and probe regarding the matter,” the group said.

IT added that the Kabataan has initiated for holding of congressional inquiry after filling House Resolution 1237 to investigate the case of vanishing loads.

“It is high time that telcos address the numerous cases of ‘dagdag-bawas’ and for the NTC to impose stricter measures on abusive cellular phone service providers,” it added.

= = =

Telecom firms must return favor to public

By: Ryan Ponce Pacpaco

SPEAKER Prospero “Boy” Nograles, Jr. yesterday urged telecommunication companies to take pro-consumer steps that would make their services more affordable to their clients.

“This is a welcome news especially now that Filipino consumers are hard pressed to get more value for their hard earned money. That’s why Congress is continuously trying to find ways to make basic necessities -- such as telecommunications -- more affordable to consumers,” he said.

Nograles said telecommunication companies should return the favor to their clients instead of questioning the National Telecommunications Commission’s order extending the expiration period of prepaid loads.

He cited as an example “Call All Landline” being offered by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company which gives customers an affordable option on voice calls.

“This Call All program of the PLDT is just one of the many innovative steps that can make life easier for millions of Filipinos whether they are from the slums or from the ritzy mansions of Forbes Park. Affordable text and voice calls are great social equalizers and I’m glad that one of our telecoms is taking great strides to make it happen,” said Nograles.

Meanwhile, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino said prepaid loads should not have expiration dates amid complaints of “vanishing loads” from consumers.

The NTC the other day ordered mobile phone firms to triple the shelf life of prepaid loads.

Palatino urged the Commission to scrap the expiration of prepaid load altogether.

“Increasing the shelf life of prepaid load is not enough to address the concerns of millions of subscribers. The rationale behind prepaid expiration dates is that telecoms are dictating how consumers should use their purchased load for them to be able to rake in more profits,” said Palatino.

Smart begins nationwide WiMAX roll-out

2009-07-04T23:53:00.002+08:00

Smart Communications Inc. (SMART) has taken its first steps to massively deploy WiMAX technology across the country.

The country’s leading wireless services provider has undertaken tests of the powerful wireless broadband platform with equipment manufacturer Motorola, paving the way for rapid rollout of the new network. Motorola is the principal contractor for Clearwire Communications, the leading provider of mobile WiMAX service worldwide.

WiMAX or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless broadband access to a wide area spanning several kilometers.

Smart’s WiMAX deployment, through its subsidiary Smart Broadband, Inc (SBI), is part of the company’s efforts to replicate the success it achieved in cellular phones in the field of wireless broadband Internet.

“It has been our vision to provide Internet for all Filipinos – no matter where they are or what device they’re using,” said Orlando Vea, Smart's chief wireless advisor.

He added that Smart is set to build one of the most extensive WiMAX networks in South East Asia for fixed wireless broadband applications.

Smart’s WiMAX network will complement its high speed packet access (HSPA) network, which is based on the most advanced mobile broadband technology. Smart is one of the only 20 mobile carriers in the world and the only in the region to have deployed HSPA running on 850 MHz.

“With our HSPA, WiMAX, and Canopy networks blanketing the whole country, Smart will have a unique and by far superior combination of wireless broadband networks,” Vea said.

Smart’s WiMAX network will be a key component of its Internet For All initiative including its schools connectivity program. Under the Smart Schools program, the company has connected 250 public elementary and high schools to date.

In partnership with the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), Smart has connected an initial batch of 50 public high schools and is now working with the Department of Education in a program to provide connectivity to about 6,600 public high schools across the country. WiMAX uses the 802.16 standard developed by the WiMAX

Forum. It provides a maximum bandwidth speed of up to 70 megabits per second, which is apt for data hungry applications like streaming video.

Since WiMAX covers a wider distance and serves more users at any given time while allowing high speed data access, it can reach to ‘blackout areas’ that currently have no broadband Internet access. It can enable Internet penetration even to the most remote barrios and barangays.

“We will make sure no Filipino family is left behind in terms of Internet access. We have done it with the mobile phone, we will do it again with the Internet,” Vea said.

To date, the company has about 8,700 cell sites across the country, housing various network equipment, including antennae for GSM, HSPA and Canopy. Very soon, these same towers will play host to Smart’s extensive WiMAX network.

For the trial, Smart and Motorola installed the latter’s WAP 450 WiMAX Access Points equipment to a number of cell site towers across the country. The WAP 450 utilizes tower top power amplifiers that can be housed in a small cabinet, allowing for a compact cell site configuration.

NTC orders triple load life

2009-07-04T23:42:00.001+08:00

A SPOKESPERSON for consumer advocacy group TXTPower yesterday welcomed the National Telecommunications’ order to triple the life of prepaid loads.

“This is something they should have done a long time ago,” said Leon Dulce, data visualization team head of the Computer Professionals’ Union.

“We hope the telcos will comply with the order and the NTC should see to it that this is enforced,” he added.

The CPU is a convenor of TXTPower. Dulce said it has recently conducted an online mobile users’ survey “to document cases and complaints regarding mobile use which will be later presented to the NTC,” The survey can be accessed at www.cp-union.com/mobileusers.

“Despite huge profits, mobile users continue to experience poor quality of service from telcos,” he said adding ``users are even robbed of their load.”

Half of the respondents of the survey complained about network access problem, lack of network coverage and expiring and disappearing load credits.

“These are clear indications that even with huge profits, telcos still fail to satisfy mobile users,” Dulce said.

“Expiring and disappearing loads without valid reason is the same as robbing users of their hard-earned money.”

Globe Telecom’s net profit in the first quarter of 2009 is up by 17percent to P4 billion from the previous year’s P3.4 billion. Sun Cellular, the mobile arm of Digitel, has projected its revenues to double this year. PLDT, of which Smart Communications is a subsidiary, also posted healthy profits with a core net income improvement of 9.39 percent to P10.22 billion from P9.34 billion.

“NTC should immediately address these issues. The Senate should also extend their full support to advocacy groups in helping consumers,” said Dulce. He added that CPU and TXTPower launched a consumer hotline today to document complaints. Online reports are available at http://www.cp-union.com/txtpowercenter.

Ham radio soon to be useless because of BPL

2009-07-04T22:56:00.000+08:00

hi guys,

imagine interference on your radio coming in at 40db over S9. this may soon be a reality, making ham radio and other radio services useless.

Meralco and PLDT will soon be testing BPL or broadband over power lines. this will definitely cause interference on the amateur bands. http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090630-213203/PLDT-taps-Meralco-for-new-venture

the Meralco franchise is huge. The 9,337 sq. km. franchise area covers 23 cities and 88 municipalities including Metro Manila, the entire provinces of Bulacan, Rizal and Cavite; parts of the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Batangas; and 17 barangays in Pampanga. Electrification level in the franchise is 97%. http://www.meralco.com.ph/Corporate/services/franchise.htm

imagine an a huge antenna covering 9,337 sq. km. imagine how huge a signal that will be. it will not only cause interference in that are, it can spill over to other areas, especially if the propagation is good.

so, you do not live in a Meralco franchise area? what will stop your power company from venturing into BPL? how sure are you that they will not go into BPL?

we should put a stop to BPL now. i am not against technology. however, there are "cleaner" technologies for the internet transmission like wifi, cable, fiber optic, telephone line, etc....

radio is not only a hobby. it is useful during emergencies and disasters. of course we know that because we are hams. other services like government, the military, commercial enterprises use radio daily and during disasters.

what should we do? well, we can start by writing NTC, PLDT, Meralco and its officers.

for your convenience, i have prepared a draft letter. cut and paste and,fill in your name and contact information and then email or mail to them.

for love of ham radio, very truly yours,

Eddie Valdez DU1EV

Dear Sir or Madam:

I have read that PLDT and Meralco will be testing broadband over power line BPL in the Malabon area starting August 2009.

I strongly oppose the use of power lines for broadband because of the harmful interference it causes on radio frequencies. The interference will wreak havoc on the HF and VHF bands of the radio spectrum and this will affect commercial, government, military and amateur communications.

I am not opposed to technology. Presently, there are other means for transmission of broadband which do not cause interference like telephone lines, cable, wifi, and fiber optic.

Until and unless BPL technology improves and will not cause interference to the radio spectrum, I shall continue to oppose BPL.

I therefore respectfully request that your plan of using power lines for broadband be terminated.

Very truly yours,

YOUR NAME

YOUR CONTACT INFO

SEND TO oh.acct.mgmt@meralco.com.ph

customercare@pldt.com

commissioner@ntc.gov.ph depcom1@ntc.gov.ph

http://www.meralco.com.ph/Corporate/services/franchise.htm

http://www.pldt.com.ph/support/consumers/Pages/CosumerSupportHome.aspx

Eddie Valdez

DU1EV

Globe-PLDT competition over duo service heightens

2009-06-06T10:53:00.001+08:00

Competition between Globe Telecom and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. over dual services heightened again after the former expanded its Duo service to cover pre-paid subscribers.

Dual services allow unlimited landline calls on wireless handsets. But Globe said its duo-service, which allows unlimited calls to landline numbers within the same area code, is now available to pre-paid subscribers both in Metro Manila and Cebu. The services was previously limited to post-paid subscribers.

“Fast becoming popular to customers in Metro Manila and Cebu, Globe Duo is now available in pre-paid in Metro Manila starting June 5 and this was introduced in Cebu since May 25,” Globe said.

Globe announced the introduction of its Duo service for pre-paid subscribers, a day after PLDT introduced a second SIM that can be inserted in mobile phones or other wireless handsets to make unlimited landline calls from anywhere in the country.

The company said the new product “PLDT Call All” revolutionizes the residential landline by giving Filipinos total freedom to call their loved ones across the country anytime, for an additional monthly fee of only P250.

Globe’s Duo service for post-paid subscribers, announced a month earlier, allows free calls from a mobile phone to any landline number within the same area code, for an additional cost of P399 monthly.

The new Globe Duo service for pre-paid subscribers are available for those who will get a special Duo pre-paid SIM pack worth P45. The cost of the service that allows unlimited mobile and landline calling within Metro Manila and Cebu is P125 for five days and P350 for 14 days.

“We want everyone to experience the best in unlimited calling at an affordable price. So we are introducing the pre-paid variant and we have initially rolled it out in Cebu and now in Metro Manila. Duo is an innovative service and a great offering that we want to make available to more customers,” said Ferdinand dela Cruz, head of Globe’s consumer wireless business. By Roderick T. dela Cruz - Manila Standard Today

IBM trades legal suits with Philippine govt agency

2009-06-06T10:50:00.000+08:00

The local unit of US computer giant IBM has filed a libel suit against a Philippine government agency after being accused of selling it faulty software, court records showed Friday.

IBM Philippines filed against the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) after an advertising campaign in which it claimed the US giant had sold it faulty software.

IBM Philippines said the GSIS ads in local newspapers "were not only false and misleading, but were motivated by ill will and malice."

The computer firm is demanding P205 million (US$4.33 million) in damages and legal expenses.

IBM said GSIS had acquired the faulty software from a local joint venture of three local firms that IBM Philippines was not a party to.

"IBM was not involved in the design, supply, installation and maintenance," of the systems, it said in a statement.

GSIS filed a civil suit against IBM Philippines on Wednesday and its US parent over the alleged failure of its software system, demanding more than 100 million pesos in damages and litigation expenses.

GSIS officials also said they had filed suits against the president of Questonix Corp., the firm contracted to install the IBM database management software. Agence France-Presse

Senate urged to approve ICT Department bill

2009-06-05T16:57:00.001+08:00

FOREIGN BUSINESS leaders have urged the Senate to pass into law a bill that would create an executive department devoted to managing the country’s information and communications technology (ICT).

The timely passage of the bill which establishes a Department of ICT will ensure the sector remains competitive despite the economic crisis, the Joint Foreign Chambers said in a letter to the Senate dated May 19.

An outsourcing industry group agreed, saying that such a move will support their growth.

Senate bill 2546 had been filed last August by Senators Jinggoy P. Estrada, Loren B. Legarda, Edgardo J. Angara, and Antonio F. Trillanes IV and is awaiting second reading. A counterpart bill has been passed by the House of Representatives.

Is Singapore's e-govt model exportable?

2009-06-05T16:55:00.000+08:00

Singapore wants to sell its e-government model to the world. But do other countries want or need what Singapore is offering? FutureGov asked government information officers in India, China, South Korea and the Philippines…

“Our achievements in e-government services are highly regarded by many countries,” Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts told the press at the launch ceremony for Singapore‘s new international e-government consultancy, IDA International. “We have attracted increasing attention from the public agencies of many countries. They share the same interest to develop their own e-government programmes. They are keen to work with us,“ he said.

But are they? True enough, the Infocomm Development Authority has found a market for Singaporean IT firms in countries such as Brunei, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago. But besides Brazil, IDA has yet to export its expertise to a country of the size and complexity of China or India. Or besides Brunei, a country nearby in Asia Pacific.

Madhav Ragam, Director of Government & Education, Healthcare & Life Sciences for IBM’s Growth Markets Unit, says that four things needs to be in place before any model can be successfully exported: “Strong leadership, a well-defined governance model, close alignment with the budget process and clearly defined performance measures.” He argues that while Singapore’s e-government technology cannot simply be uprooted and planted elsewhere, technology is not the issue. “It is the holistic thinking around a challenge for government – be it tax or customs clearance – that has put Singapore ahead of others.”

Ray Roxas-Chua, Chairman, Commission on Information and Communication Technology, the Philippines: I admire Singapore’s e-government programmes and I have the utmost respect for the IDA. I believe a country like the Philippines can learn a great deal by studying the Singapore e-government model. However, it will probably be very difficult for the Philippines to adopt the Singapore model in its entirety. Managing the e-government programmes of an island citystate with 5 million people is vastly different from that of a country with over 7000 islands and 90 million people. In addition, our government structures are also very different. For example, the Philippines does not even have a Department or Ministry of ICT, so our e-government programmes are handled by the Commission on ICT under the Office of the President. We are currently in the process of passing a law establishing a Department of ICT, so that we will finally have a stronger authority to push e-government initiatives. Adopting the Singapore e-government model in its entirety might be a stretch, but I am open to learning more about their best practices to see what may be applicable in the Philippines.

GSIS files libel case against IT contractor

2009-06-05T16:39:00.000+08:00

By Alexander Villafania - INQUIRER.net

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) filed on Thursday a libel case against the head of IT systems integration company Questronix.

The government agency alleged that Questronix President Alex Aloba discredited the government agency through statements published in two major dailies last May 31.

GSIS and Questronix, along with IT services company IBM, are in a bitter dispute over the problematic implementation of a massive GSIS database project.

The libel case against Questronix would be the second against the company, with the first being a breach of contract case that was filed by the GSIS on June 3.

IBM Philippines and its US-based parent company IBM Corporation are also respondents in the first tort and breach of contract case by the GSIS.

GSIS blamed IBM Corporation and Questronix for the constant crashes suffered by its main database infrastructure collectively called ILMAAAMS (Integrated Loans, Membership, Acquired Assets and Accounts Management System), which processes nearly all of the transactions of the GSIS and its more than 1.5 million members.

Questronix is the main contractor to implement ILMAAAMS in 2006.

The project cost was P80 million at that time.

Problems started on March 30 when ILMAAAMS suffered a major crash, resulting in a halt of all transactions for that day.

GSIS Chief Information Officer Helen Macasaet said it had earlier requested Questronix to identify the cause. Questronix later reported alleging problems with the IBM’s DB2 database software were to be blamed.

Macasaet argued that IBM continued to fail in providing a solution despite repeated calls, leading to the decision by the government agency to file a civil case against IBM and Questronix.

The GSIS is also seeking P100 million in damages against the respondents.

In retaliation IBM on June 3 said it is filing a libel case against the GSIS, seeking P200 million in damages. The company accused GSIS of unwarranted public attacks against them.

Prior to the filing of their cases, IBM Philippines insisted that it had no contractual relationship with the GSIS on the ILMAAAMS project, thus it was not present when DB2 was being installed and maintained.

The company also said it has already been working on solving the GSIS problem at their expense.

In a press conference, GSIS Chief Legal Counsel Estrella Elamparo said Aloba imputed that GSIS was to blame for the massive system crashes, despite reporting earlier to GSIS that software bugs in the database software were the culprit.

“He made it look like GSIS was at fault but it was GSIS who wasthe victim because many of our members are relying on this system to process their transactions,” Elamparo said.

Mitigating measures

With the cases already in court, GSIS officials said they are implementing mitigating measures to prevent crashes of the DB2 software, which they continue to use.

Macasaet said that some of the electronic processes that should have been done through ILMAAAMS are now being handled manually.

They are also prioritizing certain daily transactions, such as online queries, loans and membership updates.

Macasaet also stressed that the agency might be forced to shift to different database software if problems persist. “We might fast track another project that’s not even supposed to be implemented yet just to make sure we don’t encounter these problems.”

Nevertheless, Elamparo said that is still open to discussions with the respondents to try and fix the problem. “We’re open to settle this because it’s not just us who are suffering but the GSIS members.”

Globe, Senate spurred to action after Enrile’s outburst

2009-06-04T17:28:00.001+08:00

Globe Telecom has started investigating the complaint of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile over the diminution of his prepaid cell-phone load, said Froilan Castelo, the service provider’s head for regulatory affairs.

Castelo clarified that subscribers who agree to the offers of ringtones, games and MMS pictures by content providers are apt to experience diminution of load even if they do not use their mobile phones to call, or to text.

“They experience deduction of loads perhaps because of the ringtone or ring back,” he said, adding if the firm’s investigation would show that the service providers are at fault, “we terminate their services.”

Enrile had called for the Senate inquiry after noting that his pre-paid load in his Globe-serviced cell phone had gone down three times even when he was not using it.

This prompted Sen. Bong Revilla, chairman of the Committee on Public Services, to initiate an investigation even during the congressional recess.

The Second Regular Session adjourned sine die Wednesday evening. The 14th Congress would next meet at the inaugural session of the Third Regular Session on July 27, 2009. However, Senate committees have been authorized to conduct hearings even during the recess.

Revilla said he would call Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular to the committee hearing.

He said that prepaid cell-phone subscribers have been protesting against the “pernicious confiscation” of unused load credits, putting of expiration dates on the pre-paid load credits, as well as the “excessive and unnecessary” advertisements by these telcos.

“Since a franchise is merely a privilege granted by the government through Congress, it would be tantamount to a gross violation of their franchise if such claims be proven true,” he said.

When news of his problems regarding his cell-phone load came out, Enrile said he was flooded with similar complaints.

Enrile’s outburst on his cell-phone load led to calls for an investigation by Sen. Joker Arroyo who claimed that telcos charge per minute of calls even though the law says every six seconds.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero meanwhile complained of frequent dropped calls as a result of overloaded cell sites.

Sen. Richard Gordon, for his part, cited unsolicited or spam messages such as ringtones.

The senators said it would look into complaints against services of telcos.

Enrile said he was ready to appear at the inquiry but would prefer that it be done after two weeks to give the senators time to rest.

--Efren L. Danao And Francis Earl A. Cueto
Manila Times

RFID system to help track pupils? PNP floats idea

2009-06-03T16:06:00.000+08:00

THE Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, originally used by manufacturers to track inventories, is now in wide use for other applications, including the tracking and retrieval of medical records. But soon, if the chief of Metro Manila’s police force were to be followed, it could also be an innovative way to ensure the safety and security of students while inside the school premises.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Director, Chief Supt, Roberto Rosales, made the suggestion on Monday to Metro Manila public-school superintendents and parents-teachers association (PTA) officials.

RFID is a relatively new technology that uses a device attached to an object, an identification card, for example, for purposes of identifying and tracking the person or the carrier of the object using radio waves. This object, typically referred to as an RFID tag, can be read from several meters.

RFID is now being used by some manufacturing companies in managing inventories of their products. It is also being used in some hospitals abroad to help doctors and nurses retrieve medical data of patients given an RFID device through a handheld device connected to a central server.

In a round of inspection that Rosales led on Monday morning in connection with the opening of classes for school year 2009-10, he asked school officials to consider the use of RFID to monitor the whereabouts of students while inside the campus and to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals posing as students.

Rosales visited P. Gomez Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Manila and Ramon Magsaysay High School where he finished his elementary and high school, respectively, and the Caloocan National High School.

Caloocan National High School, which has 9,343 students enrolled for this year, has the biggest number of students in the country, according to the Department of Education.

Rosales said NCRPO will continue to be under Full Alert Status for the next two weeks to cover the opening of classes for elementary and high school this week as well as the opening of classes for collegiate level next week.

Relatedly, Major Gamal Hayudini, commander of the 4th Civil Relations Group, Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said students are among the primary targets of lawless groups, “especially the left-leaning organizations in their recruitment.”

Students are also at risk from kidnap-for-ransom groups, said the AFP, citing what happened in Barangay Sunrise, Isabela City, Basilan, earlier this year where a school boy was kidnapped even during peak hours of the day.

Still, the AFP and the PNP have strengthened security measures “to protect the students and the teachers” but also requested them to cooperate “with authorities against these criminals.”

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said the first day of classes went on smoothly.

Still, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said they had instructed school authorities to keep a tight watch over students for signs of the A(H1N1) virus.

Lapus said he has made the use of faucets and hand washing a daily routine for students and ordered all schools to make sure they have running water.

The DepEd and the health department have set up a response-alert system similar to that of typhoons, that would allow school authorities to suspend classes if needed.

During the weekend, the Departments of Health and Education rejected last-minute calls to suspend classes over the A (H1N1) scare, saying that doing so might cause panic and disrupt preparations for the opening of classes in 43,000 schools nationwide.

Lapus urged parents to call their “Oplan Balik Eskwela” command center at 636-1663 and text 0919-4560027 for complaints.

He said the DepEd has quick-response teams that are on call from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As of Monday afternoon, the DepEd had received 352 queries and complaints, of which 348 were resolved. Most complaints involved the collection of fees.

During the press conference after his school inspection, Lapus reminded school authorities against collecting fees of any kind during this month. Written by Claudette Mocon / Business Mirror

New US command to focus on cyber battlefield

2009-05-31T10:41:00.000+08:00

WASHINGTON – The US military is moving ahead with plans to create its first "cyber command" designed to bolster America's potential to wage digital warfare as well as defend against mounting cyber threats, officials said on Friday.

After President Barack Obama announced Friday his plans to overhaul cyber security policy, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to soon formally propose the new cyber command that will be overseen by a four-star officer, Pentagon officials told Agence France-Presse.

The move reflects a shift in military strategy with "cyber dominance" now part of US war doctrine and growing alarm over the perceived threat posed by digital espionage coming from China, Russia and elsewhere.

US officials say China has built up a sophisticated cyber warfare program and that a spate of intrusions in the United States and elsewhere can be traced back to Chinese sources.

Defense officials say the cyber command would focus on security efforts for US networks along with offensive capabilities to ensure "freedom of action in cyberspace" to protect America's interests.

The precise details of US cyber military power remain secret, but it includes technology capable of penetrating and jamming networks, including the classified Suter airborne system, analysts say.

The technology has been reportedly added to unmanned aircraft and allows for users to take over enemy sensors to "see what enemy sensors see, and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can't be seen," according to Aviation Week.

Speculation has persisted that Israel may have used the technology in a 2007 air raid against a Syrian construction site.

The new US military cyber center would be placed initially under US Strategic Command, which is already leading the military's cyber security efforts, and be located at Fort Meade in Maryland.

The officer widely expected to lead the command is Lieutenant General Keith Alexander, the director of the super-secret National Security Agency (NSA).

By naming Alexander, the Obama administration may be hoping to resolve a long-running feud over which agency should have authority over cyber warfare and security.

Civil liberties' activists have warned against allowing the secretive NSA to take the lead in overseeing cyber security, saying it would place too much power in one agency with the NSA policing the same networks that it exploits to carry out eavesdropping.

In unveiling his plans to create a new White House post to oversee cyber security, Obama promised privacy rights would be carefully safeguarded even as the government moves to step up efforts to protect sensitive civilian and military networks.

Alexander has described cyberspace as the new military frontier that could shape the future of US national security, comparing it to sea or air power.

"Maintaining freedom of action in cyberspace in the 21st century is as inherent to US interests as freedom of the seas was in the 19th century, and access to air and space in the 20th century," Alexander told a congressional hearing earlier this month.

He said new realities had forced the Pentagon to place a higher priority on cyberspace.

"The rapid expansion and global dependence upon cyberspace required the defense department to evolve its warfighting doctrine to include cyberspace as a viable domain on par with the domains of land, sea, air and space," he said.

Obama's new cyber policy comes as gangs of cyber criminals, foreign intelligence services, industrial spies and hackers increasingly prey on US networks, according to various studies.

There have been reported breaches of the US electricity grid and the F-35 fighter jet program, and Obama mentioned a cyber attack – blamed by some accounts on foreign spy services – on the computer hub for his own 2008 presidential campaign. Agence France-Presse

Right of reply bill to cover bloggers

2009-05-31T10:31:00.000+08:00

YOUNG LAWMAKER WARNS
Right of reply bill to cover bloggers

By Philip Tubeza - Philippine Daily Inquirer
The controversial right of reply bill will not only affect print and broadcast media, but could lead to Internet censorship since it also covers bloggers, “texters” and even iPod users, a party-list lawmaker warned Saturday.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Mong Palatino said the bill’s sponsor in the House, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, admitted during interpellation that House Bill No. 3306 also covers websites, e-mails, Internet social networking sites and other electronic devices in its scope.

Palatino noted that Section 1 of HB 3306 states, “All persons, natural or judicial, who are accused directly or indirectly of committing, having committed, or are criticized by innuendo, suggestion or rumor for any lapse in behavior in public or private life shall have the right to reply to charges or criticisms published in newspapers, magazines, newsletters or publications circulated commercially or for free, or aired or broadcast over radio, television, websites or through any electronic device.”

“The bill, therefore, would not only affect media outfits and journalists but also all website owners, website masters, e-mail account holders and other netizens who are not necessarily media practitioners,” said Palatino who has been a blogger since 2004.

He said the bill would affect “the more than five million bloggers and millions more of Internet users in the country.”

“My fear is that when this bill comes to law, it will be used to regulate the content of the Internet, when we are checking our e-mails, when we open our Friendster or Facebook accounts, when we are checking our websites. Does this mean that we will be compelled to moderate, modify or edit our personal websites? Is this not Internet censorship and suppression of freedom of speech and expression?” Palatino said.

“Does this mean that whenever a criticism is published in these venues a person can use the Right of Reply to compel a blogger or moderator of a social networking site to publish a space or a reply for that person? Or when an individual decides to copy or repost an article from a news website in his or her personal blog, and in the future the said article becomes a subject of this Right of Reply, will he or she be sanctioned or fined also?” he said.

In reply, Abante said the bill would be defined more clearly through its implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

“Primarily, this bill refers to media publications and practitioners. I would think it will be defined more on the IRR,” he said.

But Palatino said that Congress should just remove the line “any electronic device” in the bill’s first section. The bill is still up for amendments in the House.

“Again, this would affect more than 60 million mobile phone users and iPod owners in the country,” Palatino said.

Palatino said he would oppose the right of reply bill on the grounds that it violates the freedom of the press and the public’s freedom of speech and expression. He also said he was not amenable even to a “watered down” version of the bill because it merely “renders the Right of Reply pointless.”

He also encouraged bloggers, netizens, texters and concerned youth to register their opposition to the “apparent railroading of the bill in Congress.”

Computer crash was GSIS’ fault—contractor

2009-05-31T10:29:00.000+08:00

A technology contractor threatened with a lawsuit by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the malfunctioning of its computer database has tossed the blame back to the government pension fund.

Questronix Corp., which supplied the GSIS database software package, said the pension fund managers themselves caused their computers to crash because of poor database management and lack of standard backup measures.

Questronix said that the GSIS used the system in an “unusual” way that led to a crash twice.

Last week, GSIS officials sent Questronix a demand letter, saying the crashes caused the agency “incalculable damage” and resulted in a backlog of applications for loans, including 20,000 filings for claims mostly by newly retired members.

In a letter to the GSIS dated May 28, Questronix countered that if the pension fund had invested in disaster recovery and implemented proper backup-and-restore procedures, its members would not have been left hanging by the crash.

Questronix is the lead systems integrator for the GSIS database that brought together sub-systems from German software application vendor SAP-AG, which included software developed and licensed by IBM Corp.

GSIS claimed it was supplied with “defective software” and has threatened a series of suits against IBM, SAP-AG and Questronix.

In a statement to the Inquirer, IBM Philippines had countered that GSIS did not engage IBM in the selection, customization and implementation of its system.

IBM said its DB2 was packaged with an application that was part of a global OEM (original equipment manufacturer) arrangement between SAP and IBM. Ronnel W. Domingo - Philippine Daily Inquirer

Liberty wants license to operate in Zambales

2009-04-13T22:01:00.000+08:00

Written by Lenie Lectura -Business Mirror
LIBERTY Broadcasting Network Inc. (LBNI) is asking the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that it be allowed to operate within the territorial jurisdiction of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the province of Zambales.

The company asked the NTC to declare and include the province of Zambales, including the territorial area of SBMA, in its certificates of public convenience 93-380 and 97-292.

“If granted, the motion we filed will render the motion for clarification moot and academic. Wherefore, it is most respectfully prayed of this commission to cancel the hearing and suspend the proceedings until and after the final adjudication of the omnibus motion,” said LBNI.

But SBMA, which is the sole provider of telecommunications services in Subic, is opposing this. It said that Liberty’s motion is not compliant with the three-day notice rule.

To this, LBNI pointed out that “the omnibus motion, being defective in form, cannot in any way prevent the continuation of the proceedings. The hearing must inevitably proceed.”

NTC director Edgardo Cabarios said SBMA argued that it has the authority to operate in the area and that LBNI should not come in.

“The case is still pending. We still have yet to determine if we can grant LBNI’s request considering that SBMS is the sole provider in the area. Besides that the legal proceedings are being questioned,” said Cabarios.

LBNI holds a Congressional franchise to provide telecommunication and broadcast services via Republic Act 4154, which was approved on June 20, 1964.

IT experts leaving RP for greener pastures

2009-04-05T11:40:00.000+08:00

By: Alfred P. Dalizon - Journal online
GOVERNMENT computer experts have left their offices for greener pastures abroad or multi-national companies that give them six-digit salaries a month.

“That’s the sad fact, once na-train na ang mga government employees natin, they say goodbye dahil maliit ang suweldo,” said Senior Supt. Gilbert C. Sosa, head of the Anti-Transnational Crime Division of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

He cited as an example a dozen government employees who were trained by Microsoft in 2005.

“Sad to say, umalis na sila sa gobyerno to get higher-paying jobs that gives them a minimum of P120,000 a month. Kami na lang mga pulis ang natira,” Sosa said.

Sosa is one of the six EnCase Certified Examiners who are PNP officers and men themselves. The others are Chief Insp. Ariel T. Ilumin, Inspectors Enrique C. Burdeos, Levy V. Lozada and Jorge M. Meneses and non-uniformed personnel Nerissa B. Salcedo. They got their diploma from the international Guidance Software after demonstrating proficiency in computer forensics and the EnCase methodology of examining digital evidence. They completed the EnCE testing program in March 2007.

He told the Journal Group that there is little evidence to prove that the Chinese government was ‘spying’ on the country through its websites. He said the so-called ‘Ghostnet’ did not identify the Philippines as among the diplomatic and government offices in Southeast Asia where research had detected an intelligence gathering operation involving 1,295 compromised computers.

“Purely speculative na kasama ang Pilipinas,” he said.

Sosa said Republic Act 8792 or the Electronics Commerce Act of 2000 failed to address cyber crimes enumerated in the Budapest Convention on Cyber Crimes of 2001.

Building a case for WiMAX

2009-03-31T09:39:00.000+08:00

WiMAX is in the news. Globe Telecom recently launched a WiMAX service, boasting of a 2.5Ghz WiMAX (802.16e) broadband network, which is said to be the biggest in Southeast Asia.

This came four years after Intel Corp. and Innove Communications led the testing of a WiMAX site at Intel Corp.’s General Trias, Cavite plant.

In August last year, the Taguig City government announced that it would adopt WiMAX technology to help facilitate the delivery of basic services in the city. In 2007, a Taiwanese operator was reported to be eyeing a $10-million investment for a wireless Internet network in Subic, and was then looking at WiMAX as the network platform.

WiMAX or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is a telecommunications technology that provides broadband connectivity to wireless networks and makes possible the public’s aspiration for a fully mobile Internet access.

WiMAX is here. In a press forum hosted by Intel recently, Kevin Lim, Intel Corp.’s managing director of WiMAX for Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, announced that the WiMAX spectrum is indeed already available nationwide in the Philippines, beginning in the second half of 2008 on the 2.5Ghz band. This has allowed some operators to introduce the service.

Lim clarified that there is really no demand for WiMAX per se but what the computing public is clamoring for is Internet broadband capability, both fixed and mobile. WiMAX will simply enable users to access the Internet at true broadband speeds wirelessly. This means that the speed of current wired broadband Internet connection will now be available on mobile Internet devices (MIDs) such as smartphones and cellphones, netbooks and notebooks anytime, anywhere.

The wireless world has been greatly changed once by Wi-Fi. When it was launched in 2002, wireless LAN was a niche technology, said Lim. Today, almost all notebooks, netbooks and MIDs are Wi-Fi-capable.

“WiMAX aims to extend the open, full Internet experience of Wi-Fi with mobile devices capable of replicating the home or work Internet experience on the go,” explained Lim.

The need for WiMAX

It is a fact: the Internet is big and growing even bigger. Lim cited figures: 1.4 billion Internet users, 150 million websites, 1.5 billion Web searches every day. Moreover, there are approximately one billion users of Instant Messengers (IMs), while 10 hours of new video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Around 10,000 blogs are created daily.

This robust online activity is pushing the demand for broadband and the current network is quite unable to keep up with the demand. In the Philippines alone, the number of Internet users is 14 million, which makes it among Asia’s top 10 Internet countries.

However, in a country with approximately 14 million Internet users, only 1.3 million households are subscribed to broadband Internet. WiMAX could close the gap, as a fully mobile Internet is made available.

“Fixed broadband installations exhibit geographic limitations for countries with rural populations, and because of this, there is a growing demand toward mobile broadband services,” said Intel Technology Philippines Inc. country manager Ricky Banaag.

“Next-generation technology such as WiMAX can be the more cost-effective, back-haul solution to help build out this infrastructure to help drive growth,” he added.

Not a competitor of 3G

With the push for WiMAX gaining momentum not just in the Philippines but worldwide, Lim emphasized that it is not a competitor or an alternative to 3G.

“Its purpose is to create a new market category, which is mobile broadband Internet,” he said.

3G, he said, is a voice network and is really for voice but WiMAX is a 4G wireless broadband network suited well for data services.

Mobile WiMAX will continue to evolve, said Lim. At present, mobile broadband is available at 60+ Mbps through Mobile WiMAX 1.0 at 802.16e. However, in 2009 and beyond it will be available to achieve mobile broadband speed of 125+ Mbps (for Mobile WiMAX 1.5 on 802.16e Rev 2), and even 300+ Mbps (for Mobile WiMAX 2.0 on 802.16m).

Lim said even the basic Mobile WiMAX 802.16e could deliver fixed (at home or the office or any fixed location) or nomadic (outdoors or in non-fixed locations) access and full mobility (while on the move — in buses, trains, cars) to users depending on the packages to be rolled out by operators.

Spectrum policies are also aligning and efforts are underway to harmonize spectrum profiles in the region.

According to the WiMAX Forum, an industry-led, non-profit organization, WiMAX service providers now cover 430 million people in 135 countries. Locally, the push for WiMAX is being driven by collaboration among telecommunication service providers, policymakers and Intel.

Last year, Intel announced WiMAX-ready chipsets built on its Montevina platform, which means that devices running on these chipsets should be able to use WiMAX technology once it is deployed.

Lim bared that they are working with most PC manufacturers for the rollout of devices that are WiMAX-ready within the year.
By Eden Estopace - Phil Star

DOTC telecoms units back to CICT again

2009-02-22T00:21:00.000+08:00

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has completed the transfer of all its communications divisions to the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), following a directive by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Executive Order 780 has ordered the transfer of the Telecommunications Office (Telof) and the Telecommunications Policy and Planning Office back to the CICT.

DOTC Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso III, who heads Telof, will assume a position along with incumbent CICT Commissioners Timoteo Diaz de Rivera, Monchito Ibrahim and Consuelo Perez.

The transfer followed the initial transfer of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to the CICT last January 7.

Incidentally, both the NTC and Telof were transferred from the DOTC to the CICT when it was created through EO 269. The transfer was repealed by EO 603 in 2007 which put the NTC and TELOF back to the control of DOTC.

The latest EO effectively repeals EO 603.

In a telephone interview, Diaz de Rivera said they would still map out the integration of Telof into the organizational structure of the CICT, which would begin in the coming days.

One of the issues in this integration is the transfer of over 4,000 Telof employees under the control of the CICT.

CICT has been involved in the rationalization of Telof operations before it was transferred back to the DoTC.

Diaz de Rivera said the CICT is hoping for the quick passage of a bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which has been in the works for several years.

Diaz de Rivera said the proposal has passed at the House of Representatives while the Senate version is on its final reading.

“The creation of the DICT is more permanent and from there we can move on to pursuing IT projects for the government,” Diaz de Rivera said.

The creation of the DICT was proposed when the CICT was created in 2004. By Alexander Villafania - INQUIRER.net

Interconnection of phone lines in Subic, Clark backed

2009-02-19T08:01:00.000+08:00

CLARK FREEPORT -- The Angeles City council has endorsed a proposal for the interconnection of phone lines along the Subic-Clark growth corridor in a resolution unanimously approved by its members last Tuesday.

In the resolution sponsored by Councilors Jesus "Jay" Sangil and Ruben Maniago, the members of the city council stated they are "endorsing the move of the Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC) to press for the immediate interconnection of telecommunications facilities in Clark Freeport Zone with those in Tarlac and Zambales."

"It would definitely fast-track business undertakings and greatly minimize costs to local residents," Sangil said, referring to the MCAC-initiated project which was earlier lauded by President Arroyo. Sangil likewise called on other officials of local government units (LGUs) situated along the Subic-Clark corridor to support the move, saying this will attract investors and provide jobs for the people.

"I am urging our counterparts in government in the cities, towns along the SCTEx to follow suit and support the same as it will invite investors and eventually create employment for our constituents," Sangil said.

In the resolution, the city council stated that the "Clark Freeport and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Growth Corridor are foreseen as one of the world’s major economic hubs and catalysts for development, hence a major employment generator in North Philippines."

Also, "the development and improvement of infrastructure facilities, including the establishment of state-of-the art telecommunications facilities in the Metro Clark Area (Clark FZ, Pampanga and Tarlac) enhance the viability of the Metro Clark area as a choice investment destination."

The city council noted the importance of providing interconnected telephone exchanges, saying it "is vital in minimizing costs to investors and their clientele that includes government offices."

"Interconnecting telephone exchanges in Metro Clark Area is in keeping with the integration policy of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in which long distance and other toll charges are waived," the resolution also said.

"The general welfare clause of the Local Government Code, among other provisions, obliges us to support moves of major employment generators," it further stated.

In December 2008, President Arroyo bestowed an award on Clark officials led by Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President Benigno N. Ricafort for the telecommunications interconnection project that was one of the top 10 winners in the 1st Gawad Pampublikong Korporasyon (1st GPK).

Ricafort said CDC’s winning entry, which was conceived in 2001, aims to interconnect Clark’s telephone lines to Angeles City and the City of San Fernando, as well as other areas in Pampanga.

He said that the interconnection project was an initiative of the MCAC, "an influential partnership group between the CDC and contingent LGUs within Metro Clark." By FRED ROXAS - Manila Bulletin

Explain expiring loads, telcos told

2009-02-19T07:58:00.001+08:00

LAWMAKERS yesterday slammed telecommunication companies for their scheme of putting expiration dates on cellular loads.

The House committee on information and communication technology asked telecom firms to submit within 10 days a written explanation on the scheme.

Representatives of Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular failed to convince the solons of their marketing strategies.

Makati Rep. Teddy Locsin questioned the short life of loads, saying it is not economical for mobile subscribers.

“Why is it that cellular phone loads have a short shelf life? Such scheme forces people to make 50 phone calls so that they will consume the value of the load they have paid,” Locsin said.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino shared the same view and asked why there should be an expiration date for pre-paid phone load.

The solons raised the complaint of many people that a P20 load should be consumed within 24 hours otherwise it will be forfeited.

Meanwhile, the P100 load should only be used within 15 days while a P300 card only lasts for two months.

“Why 90 days, why not six months? We have to consume it or else the money goes to them, hindi naman parang gatas na napapanis ito, electronic naman ito,” Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

The lawmakers said this scheme means more profit for telcos.

Lawyer Froilan Castelo of Globe said the expiring load balance was part of the design of the network to avoid clogging. Lawyer Roy Ibay of Smart said there is a “financial and technical explanation” to the scheme.

Meanwhile, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon demanded that telcos submit the actual cost of calls.

Solons said that in these hard times, telecoms should not make huge profits out of electronic loads, which is considered the cheapest form of communication. By: Jester P. Manalastas - Journal Online

An Internet era ends as technology icons exit

2009-01-19T10:50:00.000+08:00

Steve Jobs exiting the Apple stage, perhaps not to return, signals a close to an Internet Age era with roots stretching back to the radical hippie movement of the 1960s.

His departure for health reasons comes some seven months after his renowned rival Bill Gates retired from Microsoft to devote himself to philanthropic work.

The two culture-changing men were seen as leaders of rival camps: personal computer lovers versus the cult of Macintosh computers.

Technology allegiances were the stuff of fierce debates in coffee houses and other Silicon Valley social settings, with vitriol spewed by all sides.

Macintosh devotees were passionate underdogs standing up to PC faithful whose confidence was cemented by the fact more than 90 percent of the computers in the world are PCs running on Microsoft operating systems.

The dueling technologies had faces at which people aimed praise of scorn. Gates was the PC. Jobs is the Macintosh.

Jerry Yang, the very public face of Internet pioneer Yahoo!, was replaced as chief executive this week by Carol Bartz and it seems he has already faded into the purple and gold woodwork at the firm’s California headquarters.

“In many ways we are stepping out of the age where the people are defining the company,” said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

“We talk about the Google kids, but are the founders truly icons. I argue not. We seem to be moving away from the age where there is a face behind the company; a larger-than-life human component.”

Ironically, while Google and other modern Internet superstars use private data about their millions of users to target ads, their founders tend to vigilantly protect their privacy.

“In many ways, Internet companies are losing their personalities,” Enderle said. “Ever-changing brands in a constant sea of surging names.”

Jobs and Gates, both born in 1955, grew up during the socially rebellious 1960s and bear its mark, according to Peter Friess, a historian who is president of The Tech Museum of Innovation in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Gates and Jobs both dropped out of college to pursue dreams of building computers for people.

Before Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak made the first Apple computer, they crafted a “blue box” to get around paying for long-distance telephone calls.

“They came out of a time when culture meant a lot to all of us,” Friess said.

“It was a revolutionary time. It is always a time that creates people. Now, Google, Facebook and others align much more with the system. Social networks don’t change the world like Jobs and Gates did.”

Bringing personal computers to the masses fulfilled a hippie mantra of “Power to the people,” according to Friess.

While the first PCs and “Macs” were sold by Gates and Jobs before there was a Web to surf, the men led their respective companies to glory in the Internet Age.

“In time, I suppose we might look back at the leaders of big search companies in a similar way, but it really feels like a thin comparison,” said University of California, Berkeley, information school assistant professor Coye Cheshire.

“If only because all these fantastic information services only became practical and truly useful once we had the PCs, Macs, iPods, Xboxes, Zunes, iPhones, etc. in our lives.”

Crises with climate change and wars fought for control of oil have set the stage for new iconic visionaries in the molds of Gates or Jobs to rise in the area of renewable energy, says Friess.

“Putting personal computers in the hands was really giving power to the people,” Friess said.

“I’m waiting for someone in the renewable energy world with the same vision Jobs had in the computer world.”

In a rare joint appearance, Jobs and Gates reminisced on stage at an All Things Digital conference in California two years ago. The men joked that their rivalry was misunderstood.

“We’ve kept our marriage secret for over a decade now,” Jobs quipped, eliciting raucous laughter from the audience.

While Jobs and Gates “personified the dispute” between Apple and Microsoft, the two companies are unlikely to change their ways without their iconic founders, according to analyst Michael Cherry of Directions On Microsoft.

“No one wants to die . . . and yet death is the destination we all share,” Jobs told a stadium packed with students during a 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

“Death is possibly the single best invention in life. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” -- AFP

RP to benefit from Satyam scandal, lawmaker crows

2009-01-19T10:28:00.000+08:00

Instead of urging local BPO players to check their books to avoid a repeat of Satyam fraud scandal here, a lawmaker chose to point out that the Philippines may stand to benefit from the debacle that hit one of India’s outsourcing giants.

Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, the chairman of the House information and communications technology committee, said in a press statement that Saytam’s freefall may drive outsourcing traffic to the country.

"The Philippines is in a superb position to capture whatever outsourcing business that India stands to lose on account of Satyam’s troubles," Santiago stated.

The Indian firm’s woes started on January 7, 2009 when chairman and co-founder B. Ramalinga Raju admitted massive irregularities in the company’s accounts, listing assets that were actually non-existent.

Satyam’s entire board has since been fired, while key executives, including Raju and his brother, were arrested and charged with various criminal offenses under Indian laws.

Santiago said the Philippines is fortunate not to have experienced a scandal of similar magnitude.

"This could be due to higher corporate governance standards and more rigorous controls here," he said.

But, while initial reactions point to the Philippines as a potential beneficiary of Satyam’s misfortune, it could also be that the local BPO market may be adversely affected since Western companies may hold back or avoid outsourcing altogether because of the exposed irregularities.

Financial Insight, an advisory firm owned by IDC, said there’s a slim chance that Satyam may survive even with the dire prognosis.

"Essentially, in the short term, it should be business as usual. IDC believes that it would in the best interest, both financially and as a business continuity measure, for organizations to continue their existing relationship with Satyam," it said.

The analyst firm said that if a couple of the big organizations panic and decide to discontinue with Satyam, it would not only delay, halt, or hamper their existing projects and result in massive unplanned cost, it would also subject them to the torment of finding another equally large services partner, qualify them, negotiate with them, and thereafter go through the arduous training process with the new team.

In IDC’s opinion, Satyam may eventually be put up for sale and is likely to be acquired in its current state by the highest bidder.

As for India’s vaunted outsourcing industry, IDC said the future still looks good. "There is no doubt that further questions will be asked of the India-based players, as well as the long-term viability of the offshore model, but IDC believes that Outsourcing India will emerge from this scandal with its reputation tested, but better for it." By MELVIN G. CALIMAG - Manila Bulletin

No let-up in hiring new 'Pinoy' workers for RP-based BPOs, says TUCP survey

2008-12-15T21:33:00.000+08:00

Despite what many fears to be a looming global financial crisis, major Philippine business process outsourcing (BPOs) providers, mostly contact or call center operators, remain as among the top job providers in the country with their unabated recruitment of fresh Filipino workers and staff.

According to a survey conducted by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), at least 23 BPO providers are still hiring new personnel, mainly contact center agents as well information-technology and administrative support staff.

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cited BPOs as the one of the major contributors in her Admistration's job-generation program. Under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippines had emerged as a BPO top global destination, second only to India.

The President attributes the rise of the Philippines as a top BPO destination, owing to the Filipinos' world-class skills and proficiency to speak and write in the English language.

"A number of BPO providers are drafting additional staff on account of expansion, while others are requiring fill-in personnel due to attrition, or the loss of employees," TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said.

Among the firms enlisting hiring a new workers are Aegis PeopleSupport Inc., Affiliated Computer Services Inc., APAC Customer Services Inc., Convergys Philippines Services Corp.;

Dell International Services Philippines Inc., Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., eTelecare Global Solutions Inc., Hinduja TMT Ltd.; HSBC Electronic Data Processing Philippines Inc. and ICT Marketing Services Inc.

JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. Philippine Customer Care Center, NCO Group Inc., NuComm International Inc., PeopleTalk Contact Solutions Inc., Stellar Global Solutions Inc., Synnex-Concentrix Corp.;

Telephilippines Inc., TeleTech Holidngs Inc., Telus International Philippines Inc., VXI Global Solutions Inc., West Contact Services Inc. and WinSource Solutions Inc. are all likewise still looking for new staff.

Herrera cited the case of APAC, which is recruiting 1,000 agents and support staff, including those meant for deployment to a new contact center Tacloban City.

He also cited Deutsche Knowledge Services, which is recruiting 900 financial, business and accounting associates to provide back office support to its global financial operations, as well as ICT Marketing Services, which is hiring 400 agents, including those meant for deployment to a new contact center in Cabanatuan City.

Most of the firms require only two years of college education or "some college (units)" to qualify for prospective agents.

He said even high school graduates with exceptional English or foreign language skills could readily qualify for employment, according to Herrera.

The TUCP survey also showed that a number of BPO providers have a "desperate need" for contact center agents or back office staff with bilingual or multilingual skills.

Among these firms enlisting bilingual or multilingual staff are PeopleSupport, Convergys, Synnex and Telephilippines. They are scouting for full-time or part-time staff that can speak Spanish, Cantonese, French or Japanese.

WinSource is also looking for electronic mail support agents who can write in Spanish, Korean or Japanese, as well as outbound contact center agents who can speak Mandarin, Spanish, Korean or Japanese.

Meanwhile, the global manufacturing and technology giant Emerson Electric Co. is also looking for in-house contact center staff that can speak French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Finnish and/or Russian. (PNA)

Speaking Out: Attraction of BPO industry

2008-12-15T21:22:00.000+08:00

Atty. Ignacio R. Bunye - Tempo Editorial

Just a few years back, working in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry became the "in" job for young Filipinos hoping to earn impressive paychecks.

Our well-known command of the English language and sunny, good-natured disposition as a people—both requirements to work in the booming industry—were brought to the fore as buildings housing "call centers" mushroomed all over Metro Manila and other major cities.

Today, as the ongoing financial crisis throws its cloak of gloom over the world, the BPO industry has become more than the "in" thing. It is now seen as a ray of hope and another source of resiliency for the Philippine economy.

In addition to the Overseas Filipino remittance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. has called the BPO industry as "one of the bright spots in the economy" that the country could take advantage of. He explained that the Philippine-based BPO centers would maintain their competitiveness as companies become more cost-conscious.

Our other economic managers agree that the local BPO sector is less likely to be affected by the financial crisis because firms based in the United States and Europe would be forced to cut down their costs and outsource their operations in the Philippines where labor is cheaper.

At the onset of her administration, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo saw the bright prospect of the BPO industry. Immediately, President Arroyo launched an ambitious program to create and develop a "cyber-corridor," where investments in information and communications technology are to be concentrated. She complemented this with a manpower training program, quarterbacked by Tesda Chair Augusto Syjuco, which provided scholarship assistance in "call center English".

From eight provinces, the "cyber corridor" has been configured by Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila and the Commission on Information and Communication Technology Chair Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III, in cooperation with the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines, to now include 23 "next wave centers" -- Tuguegarao, Baguio, Dagupan, Urdaneta, Cabanatuan, Clark, San Fernando in Pampanga, Subic, Cainta, Bacoor, Sta. Rosa, Lipa, Batangas City, Camarines Sur, Legaspi, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Cebu, Leyte, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and General Santos City.

Among those who were impressed with the President’s vision for the BPO industry and the world class Filipino workforce was Kenneth Tuchman of Teletech Telesystems, Inc. which has since joined the BPO bandwagon.

Starting with only 5,000 employees in 2005, Teletech currently employs 18,500 workers in its 12 customer management centers in Fort Bonifacio, Pasay, Novaliches, Cainta, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Lipa, Cebu, Bacoor, Iloilo, Pampanga, and Sta. Rosa Laguna. Recently, Teletech opened another BPO center in San Fernando in line with its plan to reach an employment goal of 25,000 in 2009.

Tuchman proclaims he has a soft heart for the Philippines. During his meeting with President Arroyo in Davos, Switzerland at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in February 2007, Tuchman revealed that he made his first buck as a teenage entrepreneur in the 70’s importing pukka shells from the Philippines.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila, who, together with this writer, also sits at the Monetary Board, said Teletech’s latest move reaffirms the economic management team’s position that the call center sector would not be entirely affected by the looming global financial crisis.

Others have remained just as bullish in the Philippines. The European financial giant Deutsche Bank plans to increase its workforce in the Philippines to about 2,500 from 1,600 next year.

Chris Sullivan, chief executive officer of Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd. (DKS), said that the German bank has migrated more than 30 percent of its global processes in offshore firms.

Sullivan likewise revealed that Deutsche Bank is set to target an increase in the ratio to 80 percent, particularly in the light of the present global financial crisis. He said that of the operations to be brought offshore, 60 to 70 percent would be based in the Philippines.

London-based HSBC also made another happy announcement last week. HSBC country manager Mark Watkinson said they plan to open up 1,000 new jobs in their global services hub near the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City by next year.

Watkinson also revealed that the HSBC is considering other opportunities in the BPO sector aside from voice or call centers, which he said "the Philippines is known to be very good at."

Indeed, while the Philippines may not be immune from the global financial crisis, it certainly has some strong buffers, among them the BPO sector, in the weathering the storm.

RP mobile instant messaging to explode

2008-12-11T08:46:00.000+08:00

Mobile instant messaging will explode in Asia with potential subscribers reaching about 45 million over the next years, an executive said.

The Philippines, known to be a big market for short messaging service (SMS), is also seen as one of the emerging and growing markets for mobile instant messaging, an executive from application developer NeuStar said.

Neustar has partnered with Philippine wireless operator Globe Telecoms to deliver mobile instant messaging to handsets via its Unlichat service.

Introduced in September, Unlichat brings Yahoo! instant messaging to handsets and is offered free as trial service for Globe subscribers. Unlichat will become a paid service later this month, according to Glen Murray, senior vice president of global sales of NeuStar.

“In terms of market trend, the Philippines is a chatty marketplace as reflected in the way texting is used in the country. We introduced the service as we see great market potential in mobile instant messaging,” Murray said in a telephone interview with INQUIRER.net.

Using NeuStar's Mobile Messaging Gateway (MMG) and a host of clients for different handsets, Globe subscribers are now able to access Yahoo! Messenger from their handsets wherever they are, said Murray.

Globe subscribers can enjoy most of the functionality available with PC-based instant messaging on their handsets, he said.

The executive said that mobile instant messaging service is targeted at markets with low PC penetration, as the service offers an alternative for users to access chat services via handsets.

For this year, NeuStar plans to set its footprint in the Philippines and enter the Vietnam market next year, the executive said.

Unlichat is a service made for consumers and not business users, said Murray.

Citing market statistics, he said the highest volume of data is generated by users aged 14 to 21 years old who are also heavy users of instant messaging.

Murray cited the service can be used in national events like the upcoming elections.

"Through Unlichat, we will be able to provide our subscribers with a rich messaging experience -- one which allows them to stay connected to the popular Yahoo! Messenger while on-the-go," said Minette Navarrete, head of multimedia business group at Globe, in a statement.

“Mobile instant messaging offers three-way dialogue,” said Murray.

Compared to SMS or text messaging, mobile instant messaging gives users “presence.” This is usually reflected in the status message once users start the instant messaging application on their phones, he said.

Murray said the company is optimistic that the Philippine market will grow and be successful like Europe, which sends half million messages via mobile instant messaging per month.

Key challenges to market penetration of mobile instant messaging services include the availability of handsets that support GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network, which is required to run the Java application Unlichat, said Murray.

Neustar has offered the Yahoo! Messenger platform in the Philippines because most Filipinos use the service, Murray said.

In Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau in China, the company has offered the MSN Messenger due to its high usage in these markets.

Unlichat is downloadable mobile application offered by Globe through its website. It is also an embedded mobile application for newer handset models.

NeuStar has also partnered with 3 Indonesia in Indonesia, Starhub in Singapore and 3HK in Hong Kong. By Anna Valmero - INQUIRER.net

Seoul busts RP-based Internet gambling

2008-10-01T11:15:00.000+08:00

SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors have busted an on-line gambling ring operated by Koreans from the Philippine capital Manila, which earned some $100 million over 18 months, officials said Tuesday.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said four South Koreans have been charged. Two others have fled abroad but prosecutors will seek to have them extradited.

On-line gambling is illegal in South Korea and regular gambling is strictly limited, with only one casino in Korea open to locals.

The ring allegedly opened a casino in Manila in February last year. They hired 30 Filipino dealers and webcast baccarat games being staged at the casino to domestic on-line participants.

In order to assure on-line gamblers they were taking part in real-time games, the ring depicted CNN broadcasts in its on-line coverage.

Some on-line gamblers wired more than $100,000 for a single bet.

The suspects allegedly earned $100 million over 18 months until their operation was busted in August, the prosecutors added. AFP

PLDT aims for dominance in RP's telecom industry

2008-09-18T12:21:00.000+08:00

TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its subsidiary Mabuhay Satellite Corporation (Mabuhay) have inked several agreements with a Bermuda company.

The agreement aims to further enhance PLDT's dominance in the country's telecom industry.

PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said: "PLDT's investment in ProtoStar Ltd. affirms PLDT's commitment to the telecommunications industry and provides a platform for future growth in the industry through one of Asia's upcoming regional satellite operators."

He said the agreement will cover among others an exchange of certain Mabuhay assets for an equity position in ProtoStar; expanded use of Mabuhay's Subic Space Center for the operation and control of satellites; an option for PLDT to make further investments in ProtoStar; and an agreement for PLDT to lease C-band transponder capacity on ProtoStar's recently launched ProtoStar I satellite.

"Overall, the agreements should enhance ProtoStar's pan-Asian reach while extending Mabuhay's presence in the region," Pangilinan added.

Napoleon Nazareno, chairman of Mabuhay, noted that "PLDT and Mabuhay's collaboration with ProtoStar will enable PLDT to enjoy full diversity and protection for its satellite needs as ProtoStar continues with its satellite fleet expansion plans.

The PLDT group uses significant satellite capacity for its GSM backhaul requirements for its rural cell sites, and this diversification will add to the robustness of the PLDT Group's network."

"We are happy that ProtoStar has found value in Mabuhay's Satellite Telemetry, Tracking and Control capabilities which have been built through our experience in ably operating the Agila-2 satellite. This collaboration with ProtoStar ushers Philippine satellite operations into a new era of growth," he said.

ProtoStar Ltd. is an Asian satellite services operator that was formed to acquire, launch and operate high-power geostationary satellites to lease capacity to Asian DTH (direct-to-home) and broadband service providers.

Launched on July 7, 2008 in Kourou, French Guiana, ProtoStar I has on board 22 Ku-band transponders and 38 C-band transponders (all 36Mhz equivalents).

The Ku-band transponders will support the rapidly expanding DTH television markets of India and IndoChina, while the C-band transponders will serve the rapidly growing cellular phone markets of Southeast Asia.

A transponder is a wireless communications or control device that picks up and responds to an incoming signal.

Philip Father, president of ProtoStar Ltd., said, "This collaboration represents a win-win for PLDT, Mabuhay and ProtoStar in that together we expand our satellite fleets and customer base as well as our ground systems in a value-adding strategic manner that is terrific for our respective customers and shareholders."

Father said a ProtoStar II satellite is now in its final manufacturing stages with a scheduled launch in the spring of 2009.

ProtoStar plans to develop and launch several other satellites in the coming years to serve Asia's businesses requiring transponder capacity. (MSN/Sunnex)

Filipino call center agents need to be pushier, execs say

2008-07-28T10:27:00.001+08:00

The call center industry owes a lot of its success to the Filipino's ability to speak fluent English but a little more assertiveness and a lot more middle managers would help, industry executives have told INQUIRER.net.

"Filipino operators can learn a thing or two from the Indians on how to best sell to the customer," said Prabhakar Pakalpati, process director for partner management at Dell International Services. Dell runs customer support centers in the country.

On the other, Pakalpati added, the Indians are learning "a thing or two" from Filipinos about customer service orientation.

Foreign business process outsourcing executives have always cited country's hospitable culture and closer affinity to the US as plus factors for the Philippines over competitors like India.

Exequiel Delgado, general manager for Verizon Business Philippines, a local unit of US telecom firm Verizon, wishes for little more assertiveness from Filipino agents. Verizon outsourcers to call center operators that have facilities here.

"As people, we Filipinos have always been inclined not to speak up and this is regarded as a face-saving measure when you don't want to correct a customer," Delgado said.

"Over time as the industry here matures, Filipino agents can be trained to be a lot more assertive in dealing with customers just like the Indians," he added.

Mabini Quezon, onsite operations program manager eBay-subsidiary Paypal, meanwhile, noted the lack of available middle managers due to the industry's rapid expansion. Paypal likewise contracts call center work to the Philippines.

According to the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, the industry now employs 200,000 workers but needs to ramp up to a million workers by 2010 if it is to cope with demand for call center work from overseas.

"When you expand this rapidly, there is suddenly a void that needs to be filled up. There has to be enough managers to manage projects," Quezon said. By Lawrence Casiraya - INQUIRER.net

Filipino call center agents need to be pushier, execs say

2008-07-28T10:27:00.000+08:00

Hackers get hold of critical Internet flaw

2008-07-26T08:53:00.000+08:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Internet security researchers on Thursday warned that hackers have caught on to a "critical" flaw that lets them control traffic on the Internet.

An elite squad of computer industry engineers that labored in secret to solve the problem released a software "patch" two weeks ago and sought to keep details of the vulnerability hidden at least a month to give people time to protect computers from attacks.

"We are in a lot of trouble," said IOActive security specialist Dan Kaminsky, who stumbled upon the Domain Name System (DNS) vulnerability about six months ago and reached out to industry giants to collaborate on a solution.

"This attack is very good. This attack is being weaponized out in the field. Everyone needs to patch, please. This is a big deal."

DNS is used by every computer that links to the Internet and works similar to a telephone system routing calls to proper numbers, in this case the online numerical addresses of websites.

The vulnerability allows "cache poisoning" attacks that tinker with data stored in computer memory caches that relay Internet traffic to destinations. Agence France-Presse

SC, U.S. launch court info program

2008-07-25T05:47:00.000+08:00

By: Cristina Lee-Pisco Journal online
THE United States Embassy in Manila and the Supreme Court of the Philippines have launched the $650,000 information system program to make the court more efficient in handling cases, ease congestion of cases and reduce case management delays.

A statement from the United States Embassy said the amount allocated for the program includes the cost of developing the software, building the information structure, computer equipment, technical assistance and training for the justices and court personnel.

U.S. Ambassador to Manila Kirstie Kenney and Chief Justice Reynato Puno led senior officials of the Philippine judiciary and other U.S. representatives in the program’s launching the other day at the Supreme Court.

The Case Management Information System (CMIS), designed in partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Supreme Court, is an automated system that will allow the courts and their officials to closely and effectively monitor and manage cases pending in their dockets.

Kenney said the program would help strengthen the judiciary’s management information system processes and capacities by ensuring accurate, up-to-date, and adequate information that is useful in court management and oversight monitoring, policy and planning, and evaluation.

The Ambassador turned over 50 computers and related equipment such as scanners, computer-aided transcription machines, and servers as part of the CMIS program.

“CMIS is a tool that on its own will not solve the problem of docket congestion and case delay, but it is a good tool that, if maintained, will certainly provide greater efficiency to the judiciary’s management information system,” Kenney said.

“This is a great example of U.S. and Philippine partnership, but there must be a strong commitment from the court leadership to ensure the success of computerization,” she added.

Digital or on paper?

2008-07-23T08:15:00.000+08:00

A lesson plan comparing two Inquirer versions

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Editor's Note: To view the activity sheet for this lesson plan as well as how this lesson plan appears in print, download this PDF file.

COMPUTERS and the internet have had an amazing impact on news reporting and reading in these technological times.

Today's news can be read from a written source on paper, like the Philippine Daily Inquirer, or read from a digital source, like INQUIRER.net, the online version of the Inquirer.

This Inquirer in Education lesson on comparing and contrasting makes use of the print version of the Inquirer's front page and its electronic counterpart. Through the IIE, the Inquirer hopes to make life-long readers out of students by introducing them to the many interesting contents of a daily newspaper.

In the hands of a progressive teacher, Inquirer may be used to teach not just current events but subjects like language, history, science or math as well. IIE study guides may be adjusted to meet abilities of students and grade-level requirements.

Objective Students will compare and contrast the print and online versions of today's Inquirer. Materials Copies of the Inquirer, copies of the Activity Sheet, computer(s) with Internet access

Procedures
1. Introduce the lesson with an overview that news may be read (written or print sources), viewed (television) or heard (radio). Tell the class that there are different written sources of news as well. Can they name some? (Broadsheets, tabloids, magazines, local newspapers, school papers, etc.) The invention of the computer has brought more sources for the written news. Can they name some? (Online versions of newspapers, news aggregators like Yahoo! News), news blogs, cell phone text news alerts, among others).

2. Poll the class to find out how many students read a print newspaper on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. How many have parents who read the newspaper? How many of them read the online version of the daily newspaper? How many have parents who read online?

3. Explain to students that they will be working in groups to compare and contrast the front page of today's Inquirer and the homepage of its electronic counterpart on www.Inquirer.net. If you need to, review basic newspaper vocabulary words with the class.

4. Distribute copies of the Inquirer.

5. Divide the class into groups A and B. Instruct Group A to complete Part A of the Activity Sheet referring to the printed copy of the Inquirer. Divide Group B into subgroups, as many as there are computers available in the classroom. Have each subgroup complete Part B of the Activity Sheet.

6. After each group has completed their section of the Activity Sheet, switch newspaper sources. Have Group B now work on Part A of the Activity Sheet with their printed copies of the Inquirer. Divide Group A into subgroups, as many as there are computers available in the classroom. Have each subgroup complete Part B of the Activity Sheet.

7. Allow the class to share and discuss their responses to compare and contrast the print and online versions of the Inquirer. What are the most noticeable general differences between the print newspaper and the online version? What features are exclusive to each version? Under what circumstances would you recommend reading the print version of the Inquirer over the online version? Under what circumstances would you recommend using Inquirer.net over the print version of Inquirer?

DepEd backs cellphone ban

2008-07-23T08:13:00.000+08:00

EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus has expressed full support to the proposal of Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez for a nationwide ban on mobile telephones in schools to put an end to class mischief, including test cheating with the use these hi-tech gadgets.

The education chief lauded HB 4246, authored by Rodriguez who claimed that aside from cheating during examinations, cellular phones are also being used by students in making prank calls such as reporting false bomb threats to achieve early dismissal of classes.

He said that some features of cellular phones, particularly games compete with the student’s attention.

“We favor the total ban of cellular phone in schools. It distracts from their school lessons especially play hi-tech games,” Lapus said.

He said that some schools, particularly in private and exclusive schools, have banned cellular phones inside school premises.

Rodriguez noted that police have expressed alarm over the upsurge in cell phone-related crime incidents victimizing many students. By: Alvin Murcia Journal online

Internet café sinorpresa ng DSWD, MPD agents

2008-07-10T08:09:00.000+08:00

NAGSAGAWA ng sorpresang inspeksiyon ang pinagsanib na puwersa ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at Manila Police District (MPD) sa mga Internet café sa paligid ng University Belt, upang alamin kung may mga menor de edad na naglalaro doon sa oras ng klase kahapon sa Quiapo, Maynila.

Nabatid kay P/Supt. Romulo Sapitula, hepe ng MPD-Station 3, na dakong ala-1 ng hapon nang maglibot sila sa mga Internet shops sa U-belt area, bilang bahagi ng “Oplan Sagip,” sa pakikipagtulungan ng mga opisyal ng DSWD na sina Arnald Punzal at Virgilio Medina, ng District III, Alvarez office, Maynila.

Sa walong Internet shops, dalawa ang nadatnang may mga kustomer na menor de edad na naglalaro sa “school hours.”

Apat na bagets naman ang nasagip sa Gigz Computer Center, na pagmamay-ari ni Oscar Valenzuela Jr., ng 515 San Rafael St., Quiapo, samantalang sa Genesis Point Internet Zone Co., sa 968 Arlegui St., ay anim na estudyante naman ang nahuli.

Kaagad na ipinatawag ng mga awtoridad ang mga magulang ng mga nahuling estudyante upang ipaalam ang ginagawa ng mga ito sa oras ng eskwela gayundin ang paaralan sa kanilang pinapasukan.

Kasabay nito ay binalaan ng MPD at DSWD ang mga Internet café na mananagot sila sa pagpapasok ng mga menor de edad, lalo na kung mga oras ng eskwela.
JR Reyes - Journal online

Smart tests RP waters for all-in-one messaging service

2008-07-10T08:06:00.000+08:00

Wireless service provider Smart Communications has started beta testing an all-in-one messaging service that intends to attract Internet-savvy users.

The new messaging service, Uzzap, will use Internet Protocol (IP) passing through mobile networks to let users zap instant or e-mail messages to other users.

Users can also join chat rooms, set up chat conferences and use so-called "extended messaging" to connect with other Uzzap users, Smart said.

"This will work well with those used to social networking," said Ramon Isberto, Smart head of public affairs, in an interview, as he explained that the service will require users to download a software application onto their handsets.

Uzzap requires handsets that run the Symbian operating system and those that support Java mobile applications, the company said.

A PC-based software can also be downloaded by users to their computers to allow them to send instant messages to users on their mobile handsets.

"This is a convergence of the mobile and the web world," said Isberto, adding that the company has been testing this service internally for a year.

Acknowledging the growing number of people sending e-mail and instant messages through their mobile handsets, it was logical for Smart to develop its own service, the executive said.

The beta phase will run from July 6 to 20, Smart said.

"SMART Buddy Uzzap is another service that will further enrich the mobile Internet experience of our subscribers. Through Uzzap, Smart has taken another step toward taking web-based applications such as instant messaging, file sharing, and social networking and making these accessible and easy to use on their mobile handsets," added Danilo Mojica, wireless consumer division head of Smart, in a statement.

Isberto said users can still use the service for free or until the beta phase ends.

Eventually, the company will be charging a flat-rate, the executive said. He declined to disclose the rates until the commercial launch. By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Dagdag na pondo sa info tech ng RP isinusulong

2008-07-07T19:46:00.000+08:00

PINOY ang susunod na magiging Bill Gates.

Ito ang sinabi kahapon ni Senadora Loren Legarda matapos ihayag na malaking tulong para sa IT industry ang isinusulong niyang P1 billion IT Venture fund sa taong 2008.

Ayon kay Legarda, isinumite niya ang Senate Bill 2418 para lalo pang maging “competitive” ang mga Pinoy sa larangan ng information technology sa buong mundo.

Nangangailangan aniya ito ng malaking puhunan na siyang dapat ibigay ng isinusulong niyang IT ventures fund.

“Some of the best software developers and computer engineers in the world today are Filipinos. However, many have been lured abroad by high-paying jobs, thus depriving the country of honest-to-goodness opportunities to really make it big in the IT world,” ani Legarda.

Sinabi ng senadora na sa halip aniyang manatiling empleyado na lamang sa isang IT company ang mga kababayang Pinoy sa labas ng bansa, mas maganda umano kung sila ang ang magiging boss sa pamama-gitan ng pag-develop ng mga proyektong ganito.

Tulong lamang aniya ng pamahalaan ang kailangan upang higit na makita ang galing ng Pinoy sa larangan ng pag-imbento o pagpapaunlad pa sa negosyo na may kinalaman sa teknolohiya tulad ng computer industry. Marlon Purificacion - Journal online

Rent-free locations in Subic offered

2008-06-21T13:10:00.000+08:00

Rent-free locations in Subic offered
to Taiwanese high-tech firms

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will now offer rent-free locations to Taiwanese companies engaged in high-technology ventures.

Armand Arreza, SBMA administrator, said the incentive was agreed upon during the joint economic conference between Taiwan and the Philippines last week.

During the conference, Philippine officials led by Trade Undersecretary Thomas Aquino also forged an agreement with Taiwanese counterparts to grant Taiwanese manufacturers in Subic and the nearby Clark Freeport reduced tariffs under the Asean Free-Trade Area’s common effective preferential tariff scheme.

Under the agreement, the Taiwanese experts will also be sent to the country to assist in training integrated circuit designers.

The rent-free incentive, which will apply within the Subic and Clark free ports, will be good for three to five years and will cover firms that will each commit a minimum investment of $25 million.

Arreza said the inducement was meant to spur the entry of more high-technology firms in a bid to put up the country’s technological capability at par with major Asian economies.

“We’ve been pushing to attract companies in information and communication technology, software design, biotechnology and the like, and this new incentive is a concrete manifestation of our intentions to build our capabilities and be globally-competitive,” he said.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, there are now 79 Taiwanese firms in Subic, with total investment commitments worth $780 million. In Clark, eight Taiwanese companies have put up ventures worth $360 million.

Taiwanese are the second biggest investor group in Subic in terms of investment value, while Korean firms, boosted by the $1.6-billion shipyard project of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. came in first.

Arreza said that with the new rent-free incentive, the SBMA expects to realize its long-term “Cyber-Subic” program, which focuses on developing ICT facilities in Subic and roping in investors in the so-called knowledge industries.

He said that the agency has already reserved locations for ICT industrial clusters in coordination with the Subic Bay Development and Management Corp., owner of the industrial park where most Taiwanese firms at the Freeport are now located.
-- Katrina Mennen A. Valdez

Updated Firefox browser eyes world download record

2008-06-19T09:14:00.000+08:00

Mozilla on Tuesday released an improved version of its Firefox web browser that has gained popularity as a free alternative to Microsoft's ubiquitous Internet Explorer.

Mozilla said Firefox 3 promises Internet surfing that is fast, secure, and easy to customize because it is designed to adapt to people's online activities.

The company claimed the new Firefox version, available in 50 languages, is at least twice as fast as its predecessor and boasts "15,000 improvements" including malware protection.

"We're really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energized global community can do when they work together," Mozilla chief executive John Lilly said in a release.

The Mozilla Foundation is a nonprofit organization that builds and refines public, open-source software in a collaborative manner with input from engineers around the world.

Mozilla is rallying devotees to help it set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours.

But interest in the Mountain View, California, organization's new-generation browser was so intense before its release Tuesday that traffic to the Mozilla website caused it to crash.

Free downloads of Firefox 3 commenced at http://www.getfirefox.com after the problem was fixed.

Firefox 3 is available free for computers using Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS X operating systems.

Since its initial launch in 2004, Firefox has spread to more than 175 million users and 230 countries, according to Mozilla.

Mozilla was originally a web navigator code name at defunct Internet firm Netscape when it dominated the Internet browser world more than a decade ago.

Netscape eventually was eclipsed by Internet Explorer, and the company was bought in 1998 by America Online and reduced to brand status.

The Mozilla Organization was established in 1998 to complete the free, open-source software project and it registered as a nonprofit foundation in July of 2003.

The project was so lucrative that the foundation established a for-profit arm, Mozilla Corporation, two years later to handle distribution and sponsorship of the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird e-mail application.

Firefox 1.0 was launched in November of 2004 and gained popularity with companies and young computer users.

IT bill OK’d

2008-06-16T13:41:00.000+08:00

THE House of Representatives has approved on second reading the bill proposing the creation of a Department of Information and Communication Technology.

The authors, led by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte and Camarines Sur. Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo, said that the proposal will prevent the country from being left out of the sprinting pace of development in the area of information andcommunications technology.

Speaker Prospero Nograles praised the members of Congress for the immediate action on the House Bill 4300, which he said will ensure a focused attention on a really fast-evolving and increasingly complex global technological phenomenon.

The measure proposed splitting the Department of Transportation and Communication into two departments.

“Our future would depend on our competitiveness and grasp of modern technologies.

Almost every day, new breakthroughs are announced in the IT field. New technologies are becoming more compact but are more powerful. We have to be at pace with technology,” Nograles said.

Other principal authors of the measures are Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez; Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez; Sorsogon Rep. Jose Solis; Cebu Rep. Pablo John Garcia; Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara; Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza; Tarlac Rep. Jesli Lapus; and Western Samar Rep. Sharee Ann Tan.
Jester P. Manalastas - Journal online

Davao graduates better than Subic?

2008-06-06T07:13:00.000+08:00

Davao City has various educational institutions annually yielding a higher number of IT and BPO qualified graduates than Subic

Davao City gets upgraded status as outsourcing site
by Prix D Banzon - PIA

Davao City (6 June) -- Davao City has been upgraded to a level C2 rating from its previous level D standing as the city emerges as a viable site for captive and outsourcing services.

In the leadership study of XMG Global Offshoring it said that the untapped manpower base in Davao City will give its allure and staying power as a viable site in the years to come.

The report continued that potential locators in Davao City must have heightened awareness and should conduct their own formal and internal risks analysis rather than reacting to headlines about specific regions under consideration such as the problems happening in other parts of Mindanao.

XMG researcher Camille Lumbang said compared to other cities in the south, Davao Cty is very promising and it is seen to be next generation city that would benefit large captives provided that risk issues are addressed properly.

The study Lumbang said that Davao City has various educational institutions annually yielding a higher number of IT and BPO qualified graduates than Subic, Clark and Baguio by 689%, 278% and 40% respectively.

The XMG indicated however that there is a need to further improve and modernize telecom facilities, transportation networks and public transport system otherwise business continuity and disaster recovery plans will go unfulfilled.

The study on the other hand revealed that Davao City will be a viable alternative site three years from now. The study likewise predicts that organizations that are formulating the technology and procedural solutions to integrate a large manpower base into their global delivery centers will be at the forefront of the offshoring and outsourcing industry as the labor arbitrage model continues. The other emerging alternative offshoring cities cited in the study were Montevideo, Uruguay, Jakarta, Indonesia and Casablanca, Morocco.

Outsourcing vendors and captives who participated in the study are bullish about Davao City because of the larger population of untapped qualified resources.

Among others, the study highlighted the population of Davao City as considerably higher than other Tier-2 offshoring cities globally. In the Philippine context, Davao City's population is 71 percent higher than Cebu City, 499 percent larger than Olangapo-Subic City 333 percent higher than Angeles-Clark City and 340 percent larger than Baguio City. The city's estimated workforce is twice of Cebu, 9 times of Subic and 7 times of Clark and 6 times of Baguio. (PIA)

No reason for Senate to reject DICT this time -- IT execs

2008-06-03T19:08:00.000+08:00

By Lawrence Casiraya - INQUIRER.net

Although the bill is still at its early stage, two industry executives see no reason for senators to stall further the creation of an ICT (information and communications technology) department in government.

The Senate committee on science and technology discussed at a hearing today a bill filed by Senator Loren Legarda proposing the creation of an ICT department. The hearing was attended by representatives from various private sector groups.

Unlike previous versions of the bill filed at the Senate, Oscar Sanez, Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) chief executive, sees more support from different industry groups this time.

"Before, there was not as much consensus and some may have seen the idea (of a DICT) as one that was too early. But many things have changed," Sanez said via phone interview when asked for comments by INQUIRER.net.

BPAP, which represents the country's business process outsourcing or BPO industry, has sent an endorsement letter to the Senate committee supporting the DICT bill.

Sanez said other countries have gone ahead in creating similar state ICT agencies.

"ICT has become a global measure of a nation's competitiveness and there is higher importance (of ICT) now than ever before," he said.

The creation of DICT, he said, spells good news for an industry like BPO, which relies heavily on ICT-related policies.

"For BPAP, it shows that the government is doing something to ensure infrastructure is there," Sanez said.

Bettina Quimson, Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) head for government relations, is likewise hoping a DICT will finally be created before the year ends.

"Even Vietnam has its own department and look at what they have achieved since," she said in a separate phone interview.

PSIA, which represents the country's software industry, is likewise endorsing the bill and is part of the private-government technical working group tasked to refine the bill further to address specific areas.

"What this shows is that there is no single agency in government right now to address all these IT functions," Quimson said, noting the participation of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the working group.

The working group will have 45 days before convening again.

"All the parties involved are sort of listening to different perspectives at the moment," said Sanez of BPAP. "But it's the senators pushing the DICT bill that will make a difference."

Telcos: No such thing as free SMS, not even in the US

2008-06-01T03:28:00.000+08:00

While willing to discuss text rates, telecommunications companies are balking at a recent announcement that government wants to make text messaging free, saying this implies that telcos were unduly pricing the service when they were not.

"Reports have cited Verizon, a major US mobile carrier, as offering 'free' text messaging. A check with the Verizon website shows that the service being offered is not 'free' text messaging but unlimited text messaging. The unlimited SMS offer is part of their monthly service plans, the lowest priced of which costs US$59.99 or roughly P2,400 a month," Smart Communications Inc. spokesman Ramon Isberto said in a recent statement.

Unlimited text messaging is already available in the Philippines, he added.

"SMS rates in the Philippines are already among the lowest in the world. While the standard rate remains P1 per message, Philippine operators, including Smart, now offer many different text and call packages that have drastically reduced the effective price of SMS from 10 to 20 centavos per message or even lower in the case of unlimited text packages," he said.

Globe Telecom Inc. SVP Atty. Rodolfo Salalima agreed in a separate statement.

"While we do not take it from government to feel their concerns for the mass public, we need to sit down together (to discuss rates).... In Australia the cost per text is P2.4, in Malaysia P1.07, in China P1.55, in Taiwan P4.25, in Europe it ranges from P15 to about P25," he said.

As for lowering text rates, Salalima said the price of one text message was now only about 13 centavos because intense competition has driven telcos to offer promos.

He added that there was a public service aspect to the service, and if telcos were forced to make it free despite the heavy investment required to cope with data traffic and to improve quality of service, then text messaging may not be sustainable.

Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc., operator of the Sun Cellular mobile brand, likewise said that text messaging was already very cheap in the Philippines.

"The fact that it is being contemplated to make it free or lower prices implies there is an impression that it is expensive. But in fact we are among the lowest especially when we count the promos. Of course, we can discuss this better if we get a formal policy or statement from government," Digitel SVP William Pamintuan told reporters recently.

But the NTC said it has already come up with twin circulars proposing to trim charges not only for text messaging but for voice calls as well. It has also announced that it will hold a public hearing about the proposed rates this week.

NTC wants to slash the access charge (also known as the interconnection charge) for text messaging between different operators (Smart to Globe, Sun to Smart, etc.) to 15 centavos from 35 centavos. This would put the charge at par with the current 15-centavo access charge for two brands using the same network (Smart to Talk n' Text, Globe to TM, Sun to Sun).

NTC believes that cheaper access charges between networks would drive down the price of text messaging from the nominal rate of P1.

As for voice calls, NTC wants access charges for off-network activity (Smart to Globe or Smart to Sun, and vice-versa) to go down to P1.50 from the current P4.

Telcos have declined to comment on the specific rates, saying they have not received a copy of the circulars. By Riza T. Olchondra - Philippine Daily Inquirer

Nograles eyes lower texting service rates

2008-06-01T03:25:00.000+08:00

HOUSE Speaker Prospero Nograles yesterday assured the public the House of Representatives is giving priority to lowering the cost of telecommunications in the country at least during these difficult times.

In a statement, Nograles appealed to telecommunication providers to repay the subscribers who have given them billions of pesos in profits by lowering the cost of their services.

The Speaker said the Lower House is dead serious on rationalizing telcos operations in the country in order to bring down the cost of communication services particularly “texting” that is putting additional strain on the day-to-day budget of Filipino households.

Nograles has already instructed the House committee on Information and Technology chaired by Rep. Joseph Santiago to revisit Republic Act 7925, otherwise known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995.

The move aims to find out possible amendments to bring down the cost of telco services particularly texting, which has become an essential communication tool among Filipinos including the poor.

Nograles said that RA 7925 may have “spoiled” the telcos with the removal of the 12-percent ceiling on return of investment and the 3-percent franchise tax on gross receipts which he said, could have made the costs of telco services more reasonable.

“The removal of the cap gave telecoms too much discretionary opportunity to maximize profit as they prey on the eager Filipino texters,” he said.

Based on estimates, Nograles said that texting in the Philippines should be only at 25 centavos per text or should even be made free.

Nograles also asked Santiago’s committee to review a measure filed during the 12th Congress which would compel telcos to stop overcharging their customers on the so-called “per-minute” basis on voice calls.

Mobile phone service providers should only charge their subscribers on “per six seconds of usage” and should be compelled to issue billing statements even for pre-paid subscribers, Nograles said.

The practice of telecoms companies of charging their subscribers on a per-minute basis instead of the actual length of calls should be considered as a business malpractice and this should be immediately corrected, the Speaker added. By: Jester P. Manalastas - Journal online

Schools eyeing virtual campuses

2008-05-31T07:41:00.000+08:00

Agence France-Presse

AN INTERNET fantasy universe teeming with faux worlds devoted to socializing and video games is expanding to include virtual classrooms and universities.

A new trend in online education involves students acting through animated characters called "avatars" mingling in simulated school settings and even rocketing off, via the Internet, on quests for knowledge.

San Jose State University in the heart of Silicon Valley has built a campus at Second Life, the popular virtual world created by Linden Lab in San Francisco.

The virtual university spans 16 digital acres dotted with school buildings that Library Sciences Department students use for classes and experiments.

"When I teach with Second Life, I think of it as an experience generator," university professor Jeremy Kemp told AFP.

"I can send a student in to have an experience in an unstructured environment, and then come out and have a conversation about it."

Thirty students signed-up for Kemp's 15-week virtual-world class, which includes learning about the application driving the Second Life program.

"I ask them to volunteer on (an in-world) reference desk, or take a tour of Second Life with snapshots," he said.

"Students can even design a library program with a speaker and invite the public."

Kemp is trying to simulate real world experiences by building virtual buildings and audiences so students can learn in realistic, but safe and controlled, settings.

"We're experimenting with using Second Life to prep students to face the terror of public speaking," Kemp said. "That's very difficult to do in any other way."

While Kemp's class simulations are unconventional, industry analysts say his methods are not unique.

"Second Life is just one of those technologies that allow you to have a more robust classroom experience," said Sloan Consortium survey director Jeff Seaman, who researches education trends.

The catch, according to Seaman, is that while teachers are interested in this technology, it is a challenge finding constructive ways to use it.

"I know schools that bought their own land in Second Life to figure out what it was, but never used it," Seaman told AFP.

The University of Phoenix specializes in long-distance learning in the United States and is among schools that invested in virtual property without developing it, according to Provost Adam Honea.

"It's not that we don't think Second Life is good, it's that we can't fit what we've already done into it," Honea said.

Instead, the University of Pheonix has created its own immersive environments, such as a fictitious company websites that contain realistic documents for business students to analyze.

"Most of our systems are proprietary, so it's easier for us to create our own immersive environments than to use commercial products," Honea said.

Only a tiny fraction of the more than 3.5 million people in the United States that took online classes last year did so in virtual worlds, according to the Sloan Consortium.

"I think that it is going to take plenty of time for groups and communities to realize the affordances and limitations of Second Life," said Coye Cheshire, an assistant professor at University of California at Berkeley school of information.

The University of California at Berkeley doesn't have a Second Life campus, but it makes some courses available via webcasts and podcasts, enabling students to stream lectures to their computers or listen on iPods or other MP3 players.

The pace of academic institutions moving into virtual worlds such as Second Life promises to build as students growing up with the technology become educators themselves, according to Kemp.

"This is an adolescent technology that's lurching and pushing in different directions and getting a sense of itself," he said.

"The things we're learning from Second Life will eventually help distance educators do their work. It's very promising."

APAC ICT center mulls training for RP gov’t heads

2008-05-31T07:40:00.000+08:00

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

A United Nations-funded information and communications technology training (ICT) center in the Asia Pacific is planning to introduce a training program for government executives, policymakers and educators, an official told INQUIRER.net.

The Asia and Pacific Training Center for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) is now in discussions with local partners to roll out an eight-module program, dubbed “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders “ in the country, said Hyeun-Suk Rhee, director of the APCICT, in an interview.

Hyeun-Suk was in Manila to attend an international symposium on emerging trends in ICT education. The symposium was organized by the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education, an intergovernmental organization for human resource development established in 1973.

Hyeun-Suk said the APCICT, a center based in South Korea, plans to bring the training program in the Philippines through a national institute in the Philippines.

The training module was developed by various experts in ICT education, including former Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) commissioner Emmanuel Lallana, the APCICT director said.

Hyeun-Suk said the training program, developed a year ago, is set to be launched during the OECD Ministerial Meeting in South Korea next month.

She said the APCICT is going to work with CICT in the rollout of the training program in the Philippines.

The training program deals mainly with e-governance. It includes modules on project management and using ICT for socio-economic development.

The APCICT is involved in efforts targeting member-countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), specifically in projects using ICT in socioeconomic development through building the human and institutional capacity for ICT.

Hyeun-Suk said the APCICT targets policymakers and educational institutions in UNESCAP member countries, which includes the Philippines.

Don’t confuse ICT education with ICT tools--educators

2008-05-31T07:38:00.000+08:00

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Information and communications technology (ICT) education is not only about providing ICT tools to teachers, an educator told INQUIRER.net.

Shyamal Majumdar, director general of the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPSC), said ICT education has to be integrated in the learning process in schools.

"We should emphasize the pedagogical process in ICT education," Majumdar said. "Sometimes, ICT education is confused with ICT tools."

In a paper he presented during an international symposium on "Emerging Trends in ICT Education" organized by the CPSC in collaboration with other organizations, Majumdar showed that there are various stages of integrating ICT in education.

He said there are at least four stages: emerging, applying, infusing and transforming.

He said that the emerging stage means that teachers are just becoming aware of the potentials of ICT in education. The applying stage is when teachers are starting to learn how to use ICT for teaching and learning. The infusing stage is when a host of ICT tools are used and integrated into the curriculum. Finally, the transforming stage involves the development of new ways of teaching and learning using ICT to explore real-world problems through innovative learning.

"Learning is not a transfer of knowledge, rather it is an active construction," he said. "Technology and teachers’ professional development in its use are best introduced in the context of broader education reform which embraces a shift away from teacher-centered, lecture-oriented training toward learner-centered, interactive and constructive learning environment," he said.

CPSC is an inter-governmental organization for human resources and development, established in 1973 by 26 participating countries including the Philippines. The CPSC aims to help member-countries in enhancing technician education systems.

PNP cracks down on cybersex in schools

2008-05-31T07:36:00.000+08:00

By: Alfred P. Dalizon - Journal online

A SENIOR Philippine National Police official yesterday said more policemen will inspect internet cafes near schools and universities amid complaints they allow young students to engage in cyber-sex crimes.

“We will see to it that all city and municipal ordinances will be implemented to the hilt particularly on establishments including internet cafes located near schools and universities,” Director Silverio D. Alarcio Jr., PNP director for operations, told the Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis or T.S.I.P.

Dr. Corazon Rubio, deputy superintendent of the Quezon City schools division, earlier expressed alarm over the presence of internet cafes reportedly allowing students to view pornographic sites.

Rubio also asked the PNP to address the problem of fraternities, drugs and other petty crimes near their schools.

The school official said they need a much stronger police presence on school premises since most public schools don’t have the capability to hire their own security guards.

PNP chief Director General Avelino I. Razon Jr. said police will tightly secure schools and universities as millions of students return to school on June 10.

Razon asked for a dialogue with school authorities so that their concerns can be immediately acted upon by the “Mamang Pulis.”

Congress to review telcos' franchises--Nograles

2008-05-24T07:00:00.000+08:00

Speaker Prospero Nograles said Friday that the House of Representatives will review the franchises given to telecommunications companies to find out if they were allowed to charge subscribers for sending text messages.

Nograles, himself a habitual texter, said even the poorest Filipino household spends P25 to P60 daily to communicate wirelessly through text messages. That, he said, is roughly the cost of two kilograms of rice or 10 packs of instant noodles.

The House leader said projections that oil prices in the world market will increase even further will make life even more difficult, and "it is the obligation of the government to find every available option to help the public cope with the present economic situation."

"We have to review the specifications of their franchises. We are in the middle of a very difficult economic situation and it will be a great help if we can remove the use of SMS from their daily budget," Nograles said.

Nograles said the House may also amend the franchise of the country's telecommunications companies to compel them to stop charging their customers for text messaging.

Nograles made the remark after Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza suggested that telcos make the short message system of SMS free of charge.

Reached for comment, Smart Communications spokesperson Mon Isberto said the company was deferring comment "pending clarification of the government proposal."

"I fully support Secretary Mendoza's proposal to make SMS free of charge. I will immediately direct our committees on franchise, oversight and on telecommunications to look into this and review the congressional franchises of these telecom companies," Nograles said.

"We have to check whether they are legally allowed to charge for text messages. If their franchise allows them to do so, we can make corrective measures and file a resolution as soon as possible for the National Telecommunications Commission to address this concern," he added.

Nograles said that he will ask the House committees on legislative franchises, on information and communications technology and on oversight to review the legislative franchises.

The Speaker is known to send his press statements and media comments via text. He started the practice when he was still majority leader of the 13th Congress and continued the habit even after he became the leader of the House.

Nograles believes text messaging has become a necessity even among the poor who rely on this technology for their day-to-day personal and business communication requirements.
By Norman Bordadora - Philippine Daily Inquirer

Libreng text iginigiit ng Kongreso

2008-05-24T06:54:00.000+08:00

IPINUPURSIGI na sa Mababang Kapulungan ngayon ang panukalang maging libre na ang singil sa mga Short Messaging System (SMS) o text message sa bawat mobile phone sa bansa.

Ayon kay House Speaker Prospero Nograles, inatasan na niya ang House Committee on Legislative Franchise; Committee on Information and Communications Technology and Oversight Committee para bulatlatn ang panukalang legislative franchise.

Ipinalabas ang kautusang ito ni Nograles kasabay ng pagpapalabas ng suporta sa panukala ni Transportation and Communication Sec. Leandro Mendoza para sa mga libreng text message.

“I fully support Secretary Mendoza’s proposal to make SMS free of charge. I will immediately direct our committees on franchise, oversight and telecommunications to look into it and review the congressional franchises of these telecoms companies,” sabi pa ni Nograles sa kanyang press statement kahapon.

Ayon sa mambabatas, malaking tulong sa bawat Pinoy ang nauusong ‘text’ sa cellphone, lalo na iyong mga tumatangkilik sa makabagong teknolohiya para magamit sa mga personal at panghanapbuhay nilang pangangailangan sa larangan ng komunikas-yon.

“We have to review the specifications of their franchise. We are in the middle of a very difficult economic situation and it will be a great help if we can remove the use of SMS from their daily budget,” dagdag pa nito.

Sa tantiya ni Nograles, umaabot sa P25 hanggang P60 ang nagagastos ng bawat cellphone subscribers ngayon para lamang sa pakikipag-text araw-araw. Ang halagang ito aniya ay katumbas na ng dalawang kilo ng bigas o 10 pakete ng instant noodles.

Ayon pa kay Nograles, dahil sa walang puknat na pagtaas ng presyo ng krudo at langis sa bansa, mas-yadong mabigat na para sa pasanin ng mamamayan kung pati ang mga text message ay nasisingil pa ng mga telecommunication companies.

Dahil dito, sakaling mapag-aralan ang lahat ng butas sa prangkisa ng mga telecom companies sa bansa, maaari aniyang maamyendahan ang batas para maging libre na ang bayad sa text. By: Marlon Purificacion - Journal online

CICT proposes incentives for early IPv6 adoption

2008-05-24T06:48:00.000+08:00

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Hoping to encourage local telecommunications networks and Internet service providers to move to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) is proposing incentives to early adopters, an official said Thursday.

"As the development champion of the Cyber Corridor Super region, I am committed to encouraging the adoption of next-generation networks or NGNs and IPv6 by telecom operators and ISPs. The CICT, in coordination with other government agencies and other stakeholders, would like to see that appropriate policies, rules and regulations on NGN and IPv6 are put in place, including the possibility of providing incentives for early IPv6 adoption," said CICT director Philip Varilla, reading the speech of CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III during the second day of the IPv6 Summit here.

Varilla said the CICT was "in a good position" to lead and participate in drafting a Philippine IPv6 policy with the National Telecommunications Commission and other stakeholders in the local industry.

CICT also wants to look into the country's "preparedness, and technical capabilities," as well as to determine the implications to businesses with the inevitable migration to IPv6.

The current Internet address spaces using the Internet Protocol version 4 or IPv4, is running out, experts said during the IPv6 Summit here. This spells problems for future Internet users. IPv6 is the next "language" of the Internet. The world has been using IP version 4 since the 1980s. But Internet experts are now saying that the IP addresses using this older version are almost depleted.

The Advance Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) and the Philippine Network Operators Group have set up the Philippine Open Internet Exchange to encourage more local industry and networks to move to IPv6. There are currently five local networks that have joined the Philippine Open Internet Exchange, which is the first Internet exchange in the country that supports both IPv4 and IPv6.

These local networks include Globe Telecom, Bitstop, Philcom, International Rice Research Institute and Bell Telecoms. The ASTI-run Philippine Research, Education and Government Information Network also operate on IPv6.

Varilla said ASTI has been leading the local research on IPv6 adoption in the country.

"ASTI has successfully encouraged PLDT to forge separate agreements with the organization and the University of the Philippines related to projects on rural telecommunications, mobile telecommunications, IPv6, broadband networking, toll online billing system and wireless communications," he said.

Varilla said that local telecommunications providers "have [also] started to position themselves in the path to IPV6 migration."

He cited Internet service providers and telecommunication companies like Mozcom, Globetel, Globenet and PLDT have registered with IPv6 address assignments to the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center, the country's regional Internet registry.

"We also need to pay attention to the challenges associated with this next-generation protocol. A lot of preparation needs to be done, including assessment of the Philippines' readiness to shift to this new protocol, identification of the most practical national strategy on the timing of the migration and an in-depth cost-benefit analysis," Varilla said.

More than 200 people attended the IPv6 Summit in Manila. The IPv6 Summit was organized by the IPv6 Forum of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology-ASTI, and the Philippine Network Operators Group.

TXTpower warns of cellphone health risks

2008-05-21T06:57:00.000+08:00

THE cellphone you’re using may be hazardous to your health.

So warned consumer group TXTpower, whose members have raised the alarm after reports and studies showing the health risks pose by the frequent use of cellphones.

In an interview, TXTpower spokesperson Anthony Ian Cruz cited several studies here and abroad of the detrimental effects of the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic radiation emitted by cellphones.

Based on studies, Cruz said, prolonged exposure to these dangerous microwave radiations might result in brain cancer and other bodily tumors.

In some cases, experts claimed overexposure to cellular phone radiation resulted to poor sperm reproduction and even sterility, he said.

“Most of these studies remain inconclusive but there is absolutely no harm in making the public aware about these dangers. One may not know it but the gadgets we keep closely to our selves may cause problems in the future,” he added.

Children, students and young adults are likewise warned to give themselves some kind of protection from these harmful radiation.

Since these radiowaves affect some sectors of the brain, they might cause nausea and other illnesses related to memory and other brain functions, Cruz pointed out.

TXTPower is an organization of cellphone users that aims to empower Filipinos both as consumers and as citizens.

Cruz further explained that ensuring the safety of these radioactive gadgets is the primary concern of the government, particularly the National Telecommunications Commission.

“TXTpower considers safety from cellphone use as one of its primary concerns but because the government and not us consumers are duty bound to protect the public, the NTC must not be remiss in its job and it must work double time in ensuring that the cellular units being sold around have passed the required safety standards,” Cruz said.

He disclosed that the NTC has a unit that tests the radiation ratings of each handset sold in the market. By: Melnie Ragasa-Jimena Journal online

OMB curbs RP software pirates

2008-05-21T06:53:00.000+08:00

THE Philippines bucked the three percent worldwide increase in the piracy rate of PC software last year and registered a decline instead as a result of the intensive anti-piracy campaign waged by the Optical Media Board and other law enforcement agencies against the illegal trade in software products.

This was one highlight of a study conducted by global software industry group Business Software Alliance in cooperation with International Data Corporation, an information technology research and consultancy firm.

Based on the 3 percent worldwide increase, PC software piracy in the Philippines should have grown to 74 percent in 2007 as against the 71 percent of 2006. The country reversed this trend however, as piracy actually dropped to 69 percent.

“We are happy to see this reduction,” said Jeffrey Hardee, BSA vice president and regional director for Asia Pacific, who credits the piracy reduction to the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy team composed of the OMB, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Group-Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division of the Philippine National Police.

The OMB, which is headed by Eduardo B. Manzano, accounted for 443 or 77 percent, of the combined total of 573 raids conducted by the three agencies last year. Journal online

Technicality may still hamper ARMM poll automation

2008-05-18T05:55:00.000+08:00

By Dona Pazzibugan - Philippine Daily Inquirer

The planned automation of the August 11 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) still faces a major glitch as Congress has yet to approve a special exemption that allowed the Commission on Elections to enter into negotiated contracts with voting machine suppliers.

A joint congressional oversight body has promised to exempt the Comelec from government procurement rules just so that the poll body could implement the automated elections law of 2007.

The Congressional Oversight Committee on the Automated Electoral System, however, has not yet obtained approval of such resolution from both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. reminded Senator Richard Gordon, who chairs the oversight committee, that suspending the law on public bidding needed congressional approval.

"These (bidding) requirements could not be suspended by a mere approval or recommendation of the oversight committee. There should be a law to authorize the suspension," said Pimentel.

Pimentel pointed out, however, that he had no objection to the committee's decision to waive the bidding rules in this case.

He urged Gordon and committee co-chair, Makati Representative Teodoro Locsin Jr. to immediately file the resolution so it could be approved by both chambers as soon as possible.

Gordon chairs the Senate committee on constitutional amendments while Locsin chairs the House committee on electoral suffrage and reforms.

The Comelec announced earlier this week that it had awarded contracts to two bidders to supply the voting machines.

Smartmatic-Sahi Technologies, Inc. will install a direct recording electronic (DRE) system in Maguindanao while Avanti International Technologies Inc. will provide an optical mark reader (OMR) technology for the other five ARMM provinces -- Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi.

The DRE system uses touch-screen or touch-pad technology and is fully automated, according to Smartmatic-Sahi. The OMR technology on the other hand requires voters to fill out a paper ballot which will be scanned by specially designed machines.

The Comelec has a P867.3 million budget for the automation of the ARMM polls.

Gordon welcomed the news of the award of the contracts, which he said "signals the first step towards truly modernizing our democracy."

"With computers in the precincts, our fellow Filipinos in the ARMM are assured that their votes will be counted and counted fast, possibly within the hour, and their right to choose their leaders protected," he said.

Under the current system of manual voting and counting, "it takes too long to get a result and time taken to count the votes encourages "dagdag-bawas" (vote padding and vote shaving) and other electoral fraud," Gordon added.

Pimentel shared Gordon's hope that poll automation would prevent electoral fraud in a region known for massive electoral cheating.

"Unless we use the automated election system in an actual election, we will not be able to find out its various features as well as its possible defects," he also said.

He said the success of poll automation in the ARMM would be crucial for the upcoming 2010 presidential election.

Comelec inking poll automation deal with Smartmatic Friday

2008-05-08T22:44:00.000+08:00

Contract with OMR supplier signed Monday

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will sign Friday afternoon the contract for the automated election system to be used in parts of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) during regional elections there in August.

Comelec chair Jose Melo confirmed to INQUIRER.net that the poll body will sign the contract with Smartmatic Sahi for its direct recording electronic (DRE) technology.

The Comelec Bids and Awards Committee witnessed a demonstration of the technology by several suppliers late Tuesday.

The Comelec also expects to sign a contract with another supplier, this time of the optical-mark reader (OMR) technology, on Monday, Melo added.

ABS International and Avante are both bidding to supply the OMR technology.

Melo said the poll body has to rush the implementation of the poll automation program since it only has three months before the ARMM elections.

The election automation in the ARMM requires the use of DRE technology in Maguindanao and OMR technology in five other provinces, namely Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Shariff Kabunsuan.

The use of the two technologies is based on the recommendations of an advisory council.

DRE uses touch-screen or touch-pad technology for voting, while OMR requires voters to complete a paper ballot which is then fed into a specially designed machine, similar to a scanner.

The advisory council is the body of expert advisers created under Republic Act 9369 and given the task of recommending to the Comelec the technology to use for the election automation.

The Department of Budget and Management has allocated about P867 million for the automation of the ARMM elections.

The advisory council had recommended a six-month schedule for the deployment of the automated election system. This will include training voters and Comelec personnel and for "mock elections."

Melo said the Comelec still has time to deploy the automated election system, as mandated by law.

"We think we can still do it. We need this since we can't do automated elections in 2010 without this. We have no choice," he added.

RP has highest percentage of social network users -- study

2008-05-08T22:38:00.000+08:00

By Lawrence Casiraya - INQUIRER.net
A recent global study ranks the Philippines among countries with the highest percentage of Internet users using social networks.

Released by New York-based media agency Universal McCann, the study surveyed 17, 000 Internet users in 29 countries.

In the Philippines, the study noted 15 percent Internet penetration and estimates 37 million "active" Internet users(aged between 16 to 54), or those who go online daily or every other day.

The study estimates 83 percent of Internet users in the Philippines have created social network profiles, having the highest percentage ahead of Hungary (80 percent), Poland (77 percent) and Mexico (76 percent).

It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of users in the Philippines have Friendster accounts, although the rest of the world is either logging on to MySpace or Facebook.

Among the social networks mentioned, 32 percent of total Internet users log on to MySpace every week and 22 percent check their Facebook accounts. However, the study noted the popularity of social networks specific to geographical areas, like Cyworld and Mixi in Asia or Orkut in Brazil.

This shows that it is nearly impossible to create a single social network for the entire population of an estimated 232 million Internet users worldwide, the study said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines also ranks high in terms of specific usage of these social networks. The study estimates 90 percent of Filipino users read blogs, second only to South Korea (92 percent).

Moreover, the Philippines also has the highest percentage of users (86 percent) that have uploaded photos in these social networks, ahead of China (73 percent), Mexico (72 percent) and Brazil (70 percent).

The study also estimates 98 percent of Filipino Internet users have watched video on YouTube, again ranked highest ahead of Mexico and Brazil.

On the other hand, the Philippines was ranked a few notches lower when it comes to downloading podcasts or using RSS (real simple syndication) feeds.

On its third year, the Universal McCann aims to track the use of social media among Internet users worldwide. In general, this year's report showed increasing usage of social networks compared to the past two years.

Also, the results showed that higher usage in emerging countries than the US wherein only an estimated 43 percent of total Internet users use social networks.

SOP on computer crime response bared

2008-05-02T02:00:00.000+08:00

By: Alfred P. Dalizon - Journal online
ONLY a computer forensic expert should search for any evidence contained in the hardware.

This is just among the standard operating procedures cops have been urged to observe in incidents involving computer crime.

Under Rule 26 of the Police Operational Procedures, computer crime response is the actual police intervention in an incident where the acquisition of evidentiary value are traceable within the computer’ hardware and its network.

Among the do’s and don’t’s in computer crime response are:

-- when the computer is OFF at the time of arrival, do not turn it ON;

-- when it is ON, do not turn it OFF nor touch its mouse or keyboard;

-- if available, call for the Computer Incident Response Team or CRT;

-- if CRT is not available, the unplugging of the computer whether it is ON or OFF at the time of unplugging should be done by pulling out the cable directly from the back of the Central Processing Unit or CPU;

-- each unplugged cable must be marked in the same marking corresponding to the socket from where the cable was unplugged. (Example: ‘Socket’ marked ‘A’ and the ‘Cable End’ also marked ‘A’). The computer should be carefully handled and packed for transport to the police station;

-- only a computer forensic expert should search for any evidence contained in the computer hardware;

-- the computer hard disk should be duplicated by the forensic expert and the original should be kept by the evidence custodian for future presentation. Search and analysis shall be undertaken using the imaged disk.

The need to remind police of the computer crime incidents procedure is necessary as criminals now use the latest computer in illicit activities such as money-laundering, cybersex, bank and credit cards fraud, kidnapping, bank robbery, drug trafficking, large-scale illegal recruitment, rebellion and terrorism.

Officials have expressed concern that improper handling of computer evidence might hamper follow-up operations to get hi-tech criminals and terrorists, including their financiers and masterminds, and worst, erase vital evidence needed in unmasking members of the syndicate as well as their activities, past and present.

Last week, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headed by Chief Supt. Raul L. Castañeda arrested 17 suspected members of an illegal recruitment agency led by a Filipino-Chinese businessman following complaints sent to the police by relatives of the victims through Vice President Noli de Castro.

PNP chief Director General Avelino I. Razon Jr. said the suspects, led by Luciano Lim, owner of the Excellent Travel Agency with office at 1523-1525 M. H. del Pilar St. in Ermita, Manila, were arrested for violation of Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act of 2003.

CIDG agents who raided the travel agency’s office on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Emma Young of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 36 seized 13 sets of computers, a recording transmitter, a paper ticket printer and other computer paraphernalia which are now being examined by the CIDG Cyber-Crimes Center.

Castañeda said Tuesday’s operation was the first big case unearthed by the CIDG Anti-Transnational Crimes Division involving trafficking in persons as evidenced by the electronic paraphernalia seized during the raid and considering the magnitude of such illegal activity.

“There are even reports that some of them become impregnated by their ruthless employers while others were homeless for the duration of their stay in Singapore,” Razon said.

Razon congratulated Castañeda and the CIDG-ATCD headed by Senior Supt. Gilbert Sosa for losing no time in attending to the case. Sosa said they are watching the activities of at least 20 other travel agencies involved in similar illegal activities.

“This is a major breakthrough in our war against illegal human traffickers. Hence, I am encouraging other victims to come out in the open to file their complaints with the CIDG,” the PNP chief said.

(The PNP urges victims of crime and rogue officers to send their complaints through Isumbong Mo Kay Tsip at 0917-8475757, the Anti-Kotong Text 0927-5151515; PNP TXT 2920, DILG Patrol 117 or send e-mail to tsip1@pnp.gov.ph or tsip@pnp.gov.ph)

Globe Telecom quietly enters mobile TV market

2008-05-02T01:03:00.000+08:00

By Lawrence Casiraya - INQUIRER.net

Globe Telecom is quietly entering the mobile TV market running the service on its 3G (third-generation) network.

Globe is using a mobile TV solution from Massachusetts-based NMS Communications, which provides the same technology to RTL Group, Europe's largest TV and radio broadcaster, and Hong Kong's CSL.

According to a statement from NMS, Globe can use their 3G-enabled handsets to make a video call to a dial-in number to access the service. Subscribers have six channels to choose from including live feeds from CNN and three local stations. The service also offers "made-for-mobile" TV programs, according to NMS.

"We look forward to putting TV in the hands of our subscribers," said Enril Magdato, business development manager for Globe's multimedia business group, in the statement.

Jones Campos, assistant vice president for public relations, confirmed with INQUIRER.net via phone that the service is available to existing Globe 3G subscribers.

Globe, however, is not actively branding it as a "mobile TV" service but as part of the operator's 3G video streaming services.

"We are continuing with the service," Campos said.

According to NMS, the service does not require any software download and can be used in almost any 3G phone without configuration.

Rival operator Smart Communications introduced a mobile TV service last year running on a network independent of its existing cellular infrastructure. Smart, however, is yet to offer it as commercial service pending go-signal from the National Telecommunications Commission.

WWW inventor says web only in infancy

2008-05-01T07:31:00.000+08:00

The World Wide Web is still only in its infancy, its British inventor said Wednesday, on the 15th anniversary of the Web's effective launch.

Tim Berners-Lee told the BBC that the Web, which started life in the CERN physics laboratory on the Franco-Swiss border in the early 1990s, could develop in unimaginable directions but above all should be a force for good.

"What's exciting is that people are building new social systems, new systems of review, new systems of governance," he said.

"My hope is that those will produce... new ways of working together effectively and fairly which we can use globally to manage ourselves as a planet."

The comments came on the anniversary of the announcement by CERN on April 30, 1993 that the World Wide Web could be used by everyone, after Berners-Lee and a colleague persuaded their bosses to provide the program code for free.

The Web is now the ubiquitous network via which information is shared on the Internet. An estimated 165 million websites now exist, the BBC reported.

"The web has been a tremendous tool for people to do a lot of good even though you can find bad stuff out there," said Berners-Lee, adding that one day the web will put "all the data in the world" at the fingertips of every user.

But "we have only started to explore the possibilities of (the web)," he said, adding that it was "still in its infancy."

Robert Cailliau, who worked with Berners-Lee to open up the web, stressed that not all the bosses at CERN were in favour of making the web universally accessible.

"We had to convince them that this was going to take off and it was a really big thing. And therefore CERN couldn't hold on to it and the best thing to do was to give it away," he said.

Competing technologies -- such as Gopher developed at the University of Minnesota in the United States -- were also offering a way of connecting documents on the Internet, he said.

"If we had put a price on it like the University of Minnesota had done with Gopher then it would not have expanded into what it is now.

"We would have had some sort of market share alongside services like AOL and Compuserve, but we would not have flattened the world." Agence France-Presse

E-Learning Center for workers launched

2008-05-01T07:27:00.000+08:00

In a move to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of workers, the National Wages and Productivity Commission has launched a program that will provide them with such opportunities.

The program involves the establishment of an e-Learning Center, the first launched Wednesday in Ermita, Manila, where workers will be provided facilities and training, said NWPC executive director Ciriaco Lagunzad.

The e-Learning Center has a reading room and mini-library, a computer room with four desktop units programmed with self-learning modules on productivity and a conference room for small group mentoring sessions.

Lagunzad said workers, prospective workers, and entrepreneurs could use these facilities for free while a minimum amount would be asked from employers of larger enterprises who would want access to the center.

“There will be training programs with labor centers and employers that will assist workers in using these facilities,” Lagunzad said when asked how workers could access the e-Learning facilities.

Lagunzad said the e-Leaning Center would expand the target scope of beneficiaries in promoting and enhancing their awareness in improving productivity.

Lourdes Transmonte, Department of Labor and Employment and NWPC chairman designate, told reporters that NWPC was hoping to build centers in different regions in the country soon.

“A lot of our workers only need the opportunity to learn about productivity to be able to improve our competitiveness,” Lagunzad told reporters.

He said the program was consistent with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s strategy to improve global competitiveness through mobilization and dissemination of knowledge and technologies on productivity as proposed in her 2006 State of the Nation Address.

Lagunzad said the e-Learning Center was one of the many programs the government would be implementing for workers.

“As you have seen, the government has implemented programs like the Tinapay ng Bayan [People’s Bread] and rolling stores and subsidies in rice, oil and electricity that are direct benefits to wage earners,” Lagunzad said.

But Lagunzad reiterated that the NWPC was not likely to have a decision this week on the proposed wage increase.

“Hindi pa makapagpasya tungkol sa wage increase dahil kinakailangan pa ng public hearing para makapag-submit ang iba ng kanilang mga posisyon tungkol dito [We could not decide yet on the wage increase because there still has to be a public hearing for other groups to submit their different positions on the matter],” he said.

The public hearing is scheduled on May 10, he said.

Camille Diola, Contributor

IT industry groups revive push for DICT bill

2008-05-01T07:25:00.000+08:00

An organization representing private stakeholders in the Philippine Internet commerce industry recently revived the push for a proposed measure creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Philippine Internet Commerce Society (PICS) president Mary Anne Tolentino told INQUIRER.net Wednesday that the group wants to revive the DICT bill this year because it got sidetracked by other issues, such as the controversial national broadband network (NBN) project and recently the rice crisis.

Tolentino also acknowledged in an Internet chat interview that the Philippine Computer Society has also sent its own letter supporting the passage of the bill.

Last March, the Senate called for a public hearing on the bill creating the DICT. But the hearing might have been bumped off by the ongoing Senate inquiry on the NBN issue.

The March 11 public hearing was organized by the Senate committee on science and technology headed by Sen. Edgardo Angara but was canceled for unknown reasons. Incidentally, March 11 was also the day the Senate Blue Ribbon committee revealed its "surprise witness" in the person of ZTE Corp. technical consultant Leo San Miguel.

Several bills were filed with the Senate proposing the creation of the DICT, which would ideally oversee government ICT activities and policies. Currently, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology is acting as an interim body to the planned DICT.

Senators Angara and Loren Legarda are among the senators supporting the bill.

Legarda said last year that she filed creating the DICT. She made this announcement during a meeting of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society.

Legarda said that the country needs a department on ICT because this is a "need of the future," noting that the country is lagging in the development of the IT industry due to lack of a department solely focused on this booming industry.

The DICT is seen to set government policies and oversee government IT projects.

The House committee on information and communications technology has also been pushing its own version of the DICT bill. By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

Canadian volunteers help Filipinos avoid e-governance errors

2008-05-01T07:23:00.000+08:00

"In North America, we've made a lot of mistakes," recalled Canadian volunteer adviser Roger Scazighino of the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) during an interview at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.

Having been in the high-tech industry for 50 years, Scazighino has been a consultant to various projects, including the Skylab project, which was the first American space station launched into orbit.

During those years, he said that many North American government automation projects failed completely or were launched but later found wanting.

Scazighino is just one of many Canadian volunteers sent by CESO to different parts of the world, including the Philippines, to share their expertise. Afraid of just fading away, he decided to become an expert volunteer in project management, teaching people how to execute automation of large information technology projects.

"If you think training is expensive, try ignorance," the Canadian volunteer said, quoting a sign he saw in the Philippines, as he was assigned to teach municipality officers to manage government automation projects.

Local municipalities in the Philippines usually "don't have much," added Leslie Strike, another Canadian volunteer adviser who has 40 years of experience in banking and information technology. After retiring, she decided to volunteer for CESO.

Strike and Scazighino spent a few weeks in select areas in the country identified by CESO. Strike said she was assigned to help local municipalities understand "strategic planning."

Project management and strategic planning are concepts familiar in the corporate world. Both concepts are now being passed on to local government officers in the country in the hopes of promoting better governance through the use of information technology, Strike said.

Scazighino said training is an expensive exercise, but that countries cannot jump into the 21st century without going through the pain of training.

As expected, the younger municipal officers were leading e-governance projects in local governments. However, these young leaders often lack the "real-life" experience necessary to run projects.

Scazighino said e-governance projects are like large enterprise projects: One has to lay down standards to ensure successful project implementation. But one of the challenges was to show the benefits of such projects. In most cases, e-governance leads to intangible benefits, such as faster delivery of public service.

Strike, for her part, said it was important to let local government officers understand how technology can serve their needs. But someone has to be a champion, she added.

Scazighino said local governments should also start documenting the "lessons learned" from projects that have failed. This process will later help them avoid the same mistakes, he said.

"The average citizens do not always see the benefits of automation," he said. He also pointed out that communication was very important in government automation projects.

"Technical people need to learn how to communicate with their leaders and the rest of the organization," he said. By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net