DICT could 'synchronize' gov't IT work--industry group head

The government is showing signs of progress in terms of information technology but a full-fledged department is still needed to "synchronize" its various IT projects, according to the head of a local industry group.

Peter Tan, Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) president, noted that several government agencies have made progress with their respective projects, most of them in automating public services.

"The government is still the biggest IT market and there have a been a lot of projects in the last two or three years," said Tan, also president and CEO of Fujitsu Philippines.

Tan, however, noted that the government could save a lot of existing resources by synchronizing these projects by various agencies.

"IT in government remains very much fragmented…all the more that we need a DICT [Department of Information and Communications Technology] to bring harmony into all these initiatives," Tan told INQUIRER.net.

A bill proposing the creation of a DICT has been languishing in Congress, owing to questions and lack of enough support from the Senate.

The Arroyo administration has instead created the Commission on ICT (CICT) as an interim body handling IT initiatives, including promoting the Philippines as an investment destination for the high-tech and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries.

"But the CICT still lacks teeth right now to be able to address this," said Tan, referring to the synchronization of IT in government. "But I believe it will be quite some time before a DICT finally becomes a reality." By Lawrence Casiraya - INQUIRER.net

No room for ‘personal agenda’ in gov’t IT projects

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- If there’s any advice that the outgoing president of the Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) could give to government officials implementing large information technology projects, it is this: “Set aside personal agenda.”

Cynthia Mamon, outgoing president of ITAP, lamented the continued misuse of government funds in recent mega-IT projects, including the Commission on Elections' voided automated counting machine project and the aborted National Broadband Network (NBN) project of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Mamon who is also president and managing director of Sun Microsystems Philippines (SunPhil), stressed that projects like the NBN are good if government policies and processes, such as those identified in the government procurement law, are followed.

The IT executive acknowledged that the inconsistent implementation and varied interpretations of the current government procurement law have led to failed government IT projects.

She said that government IT projects could follow the example of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which has successfully implemented a long-term modernization program and has improved the agency’s operations.

“(Government IT projects) should have real, authentic objectives that set aside any personal agenda or motives or even the desire for personal enrichment,” she added.

IT projects can be successful with better cooperation between government and the private sector, she added.

She suggested that while agencies are expected to be accountable for IT projects, there should be another agency focused on just monitoring the impact and the success of government IT projects.

RP IT industry clamoring for ICT department--SunPhil exec

RP IT industry clamoring for ICT department--SunPhil exec


By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net


MANILA, Philippines -- If it’s going to take a “miracle” for a proposed bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), then so be it, the outgoing president of the Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) said.

Cynthia Mamon, also president and managing director of Sun Microsystems Philippines (SunPhil), said the local IT industry is still clamoring for the creation of a department that would champion ICT in government.

“We in the IT industry are united in supporting the development of the ICT industry. One thing we’ve been clamoring for is the creation of the DICT. We feel that without a strong, fully funded authority in IT -- a champion -- it would be very difficult to push IT as a competitive strategy,” Mamon said.

Mamon stressed that if the Philippines wants to become globally competitive, the local ICT industry needs a “focused” government leadership as well as a physical and human resource infrastructure to help develop the industry.

The outgoing ITAP president lamented that corruption continues to mar ICT projects in government, citing the voided P1.3-billion computerization project of the Commission on Elections and the recent and controversial National Broadband Network.

The House committee on information and communications technology has created a technical working group to work on consolidating several bills proposing the creation of the DICT.

The House ICT the committee is chaired by Catanduanes Representative Joseph Santiago. Representatives Luis Villafuerte was named chair of the technical working group.

The proposed department of ICT hopes to oversee all ICT projects and activities in government. Currently, the CICT has been created by the Office of the President as an interim body to the planned department.

Similar bills creating the department of ICT were pushed in previous Congress. One was House Bill 3218, which was filed under former Congressman Simeon Kintanar (2nd District, Cebu) in the 13th Congress.