Committee Report No. 53 Senate Bill No. 50 Department of Information and Communications Technology Act

Mr. President,
I would like to register my utmost support for the passage of the proposed “Department of Information and Communications Technology Act”.
As we know ICT is everywhere; from governance to social networking, education to fun and games, and selling to shopping. We take pride in ourselves as the texting capital of the world.
The business processing and outsourcing (BPO) sector projects huge amounts of future revenues as well as employment opportunities for the Filipino people.
Information has increasingly become a strategic commodity among nations. The rise of ICT spawned competition for information access, thus making the gap between nations that have access to ICT and those without access — a determining factor in the fate of economies. Technological advancements produce greater advantage in facilitating market transactions, making countries with better access to them more competitive than those which have less. In our case, the Philippines’ ICT sector, though promising, is struggling to contend with those of more technologically advanced countries.
More than external competition, ICT interconnectivity among regions due to lack of ICT infrastructure presents a problem. Remote areas suffer inaccessibility, causing them to lag further in this modern age.
The proposed measure addresses the need for a clear policy framework and a lead agency that will promote, develop and regulate this sector in order to help transform the same into a powerful tool in creating jobs, enhancing government efficiency, and improving the economy.
With the ICT sector’s benefits and promising opportunities, I earnestly urge the passage of this measure.
Thank you Mr. President.