Manila, PH, (June 1, 2015) – In today’s world, being connected is becoming a necessity, from a personal and economic standpoint. That said, the Philippines has been making progressive strides towards creating a nation that is capable of going online wherever they may be. Various projects have been implemented in order to ensure that every Filipino can have the capacity to access the Internet and the opportunity to foster personal and economic growth.
In line with this, the Information and Communications Technology Office (ICT Office) formally launches the celebration of the ICT Month for the whole month of June.
Using the theme of "Internet for All: No Juan Left Behind", the ICT Month’s goal is to highlight the contributions of the ICT as one of the major sectors for economic growth recognize the importance of implementing a national ICT program that shall optimize the utilization of ICT. The ICT Month’s theme is anchored on the role of connectivity as a tool that can decrease the degree of Digital Divide, increase economic growth, and empower citizens by enriching their knowledge acquired using the Internet.
Kick Off – ITU’s 150 Years in ICT
Throughout the month, the ICT Office shall have numerous activities that will discuss ICT’s relevance in the daily lives of its users. The ICT Office will officially open the ICT Month with the commemoration of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)’s 150th founding anniversary. The event will highlight the ITU’s initiatives and innovations for the past 150 years, as well as its corresponding impact on the development of ICT in both the private sector and government agencies.
Touching Each Sector: ICT Month’s Campaigns
In the coming days following the kick-off event, the ICT Office shall hold a number of activities and campaigns that underscore the impact the Internet has in everyday life:
The e-Innovation Group, which is focused on job creation through the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), shall conduct a one-day workshop on one of their Program, which is the SeedPH, or the ICT enabled Startups. The Program aims to promote entrepreneurship and leverage the use of ICT to provide solutions for different industries in the society through technology startups.
On the side of the government developments, the Integrated Government Philippines (iGov) Project Management team shall hold a National ICT Summit where the iGov Phil Project will launch their shared services applications and initiatives calledPhPay an electronic payment sytem, and the Philippine eGovernment Interoperability Framework (PeGif). These services are created to improve processes in government to provide better services to both citizens and businesses, as well as promote public participation.
There will also be a Cyber Literacy Talk, headed by the Cybersecurity team. The talk will discuss about how to properly use the Internet and social media in order to teach responsible Internet etiquette, as well as how to handle possible threats on personal privacy, information safety and cyber safety of individuals.
This event is produced and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO).(Thru Esrella Z. Gallardo) PSCiJournMega Manila)
