The report had two importants points which our leaders ought to study: First, it listed for the first time Singapore as the top economy in exploiting global ICT developments, dislodging the United States which fell four places in the rankings. Second, the Philippines remained in the pothole at 67th place, overtaken by countries such as Tunisia (31st), Botswana (50th), Namibia (55th), and Ghana (65th).
If there is still some illusion in the minds of our government officials and lawmakers that our country is in the advanced stage of ICT development, then this report would perhaps make them expunge this misconception.
The Global Information Technology Report 20042005, issued last March 9, cited Singapore’s achievements in a number of categories — quality of math and science education, affordability of telephone connection charges, and government prioritization and procurement of ICT. It also got extremely high scores in other areas, such as affordability of Internet access.
Nordic countries also posted impressive inroads in the ICT area, with Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden in the second, third, fourth and sixth places respectively. Iceland, in particular, achieved the greatest improvement among the top performers, climbing from number 10 the previous year to 2 overall in 2004.
The report said that while United States remained competitive in the ICT field, its decline to fifth place after a threeyear reign at the top was "less due to actual erosion in performance...and more to continuing improvements by its competitors."
This means that even if the world’s remaining superpower did not stagnate in employing ICT for their development, some countries, particularly Singapore, accelerated even faster than what the US can offer.
I just visited Singapore this March and I can attest to their marvelous accomplishment in using ICT even for the tiniest task. Heck, they even use a topup card to pay their bus fare. It is truly a firstworld oasis in a third-world environment, as its elder leader Lee Kuan Yew loves to say.
I still wonder how a nation of diverse cultures and peoples (Muslims, Indians, Malays, and those of Chinese descent) could work so harmoniously and efficiently as to make the rest of the region shrink with envy for their remarkable technological performance.
Augusto Lopez-Claros, director of the Global Competitiveness Programme at the World Economic Forum and co-editor of the report said: "Singapore is an excellent example of a country that has been able to take in a relatively short period of time enormous progress in putting ICT at the service of improved living standards. [Its] experience highlights the increasingly central role played by technology as an engine of growth and competitiveness, even beyond the borders of the rich industrial countries."
The report covered 104 economies worldwide and is published for the fourth consecutive year. The overall main index of the report, the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), measures the propensity for countries to exploit the opportunities offered by ICT and establishes a broad international framework mapping out the enabling factors of such capacity.
Apart from Singapore, the report acknowledged the impressive emergence of Taiwan over the last 20 years as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ICT products. It said that "while this would not surprise were it to apply to the United States or some other suitably large economy, it is an extraordinary fact, worth examining, that a small island of some 22 million inhabitants should have attained the status of main ICT supplier to the global marketplace."
Other Asian countries such Korea and Malaysia were "quite well positioned" at 24 and 27, respectively.
Even China, only years after opening up its economy, improved it position to number 41 from 51 in 2003.
It is interesting to note that while these countries are located just on the fringes of Philippine territory, our government hasn’t learned a thing or two in tapping technology for our own development.
Just look at our budget for research and development — a very vital component for technology capability building. It is a measly .04 percent of our national budget, far smaller than the graft-ridden pork barrel of our congressmen and senators. Japan and Korea, in contrast, spend as much as 10 percent of their national budget for R&D.
There’s so much to be done to help our country get out of the rut. But wouldn’t this be a good time for our leaders to set the right example? I’m sure the rest of the country would respond.
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The local subsidiary of delivery service firm DHL can look forward to a rip-roaring time ahead with a new tech-savvy country manager at the helm.
During a recent appreciation party for the press at the Manila Speedzone in Makati City, the company introduced Lawrence "Larry" Llamzon, a former IBM Philippines executive and research analyst at IDC regional office in Singapore, as it new head.
Llamzon told this writer his company will soon be instituting technological innovations, including a brand new website, that are aimed at enhancing its delivery business. We’ll be keeping a tight watch on your promises Larry. And welcome back to the Philippines.
Comments to melvsgc@yahoo.com or infotech@mb.com.ph
