A federation of Internet café owners have begun to examine deeply their respective manners of conducting business in a move to command respect from local government authorities and their client-aficionadoes.

The deteriorating state of many community Internet cafés has alarmed the proponents behind I-Café Pilipinas.

“Madilim. Mabaho. Magulo. (Dark. Stinggy. Chaotic.),” these said Gener Luis Morada, National Advocacy Officer, I-Café Pilipinas, is how Internet cafés have come to be perceived and seen. “We want respect, yet we are like that. We can not command respect unless we make some changes.”

Morada appealed for support among his business colleagues at the recently held First National Internet Café Summit with the Theme: “Towards A Better Internet Café Industry in the Next Decade” at the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) building in Quezon City.

He emphasized, “We are the frontliners in the communities. We are an industry that must be respected. There is much work to be done.”

The summit brought together leaders of the different Internet café associations in the different parts of the country, Internet café operators who have expressed their willingness to join in the cause of improving the conditions of the Internet café industry, representatives from national government agencies and representatives from allied ICT industries.

The forum tackled vital issues affecting the Internet industry and things that can help in building a national program that would aid in the acceptance of I-Cafés as a vital part of the ICT industry in the Philippines; and finally organizing a single national federation of Internet café associations.

“The Internet cafés all over the country are reaching more Filipinos and at the same time providing access to the information highway. The popularity of the Internet cafés shows us the readiness of our people to use the Internet, and the CICT joins I-Café Pilipinas in looking for ways to improve our service for our people and in addressing the digital divide,” said CICT Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III.

“We are also looking forward to the creation of a national organization which would become the unified voice for the Internet café industry”, he added.

Ed Zafra, Chair, I-Café Pilipinas, said their “figure on the ground is there are between 30,000 to 40,000 Internet-cafés” Thus, the I-Café owner is an integral part of today’s community by providing affordable Internet access to a majority of people who could not afford to have one at home or at work.

He explained that I-Café Pilipinas is a national network of Internet café owners, operators and association in the Philippines. It strives to become their voice on a national level to represent their interest on issues pertaining to efficient operation of their business.

The Internet café associations which participated were Valenzuela Internet Café Association, Internet Café Association of Manila, Los Baños Computer Owners and Operators League, Internet Café Association of Tagum, Internet Café Association of Imus, San Juan Internet Café Association, Internet Café Association of Zambales, Internet Café Association of Dasmariñas and members of the Unified Lanshop Owners of the Philippines.