To spread the wealth generated by the outsourcing boom and develop the competitiveness of the Philippines in information and communication technology (ICT), government and private sector agencies recently forged an agreement for a do-able ICT roadmap.
Forty-three areas were identified for ranking in an "ICT-readiness" scorecard. This scorecard
will serve as a guide to investors looking.
Three ICT institutions – the Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG), the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) – signed the agreement. They plan to expand the ICT initiatives from Metro Manila and Cebu to other key cities that are beginning to attract ICT investments. They will seek to identify shortcomings of the rural areas so that they can work on them.
Under the agreement, the DTI-ROG will coordinate with the local government units and the regional administrative bodies in promoting strategic alliances with foreign investors, balancing investments between high-growth and economically depressed areas, and broadening private sector participation in ICT development. The CICT will provide technical assistance and facilitate the development and use of the ICT scorecard. It will also lead the development of a regional ICT scorecard in partnership with BPAP that will allow benchmaking of cyber-readiness in cities/regions being considered by prospective investors. The Business Processing Association of the Philippines, as a private sector partner, will provide industry inputs to be considered in the development of the ICT industry strategic plans of the regions.
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