Sunday, June 30, 2008 Open source software can help RP tap $450B global ICT market
RECOGNIZING the potential of open source software (OSS) to improve the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, an official of a foundation said OSS can be a “better alternative” to enable the country to become a significant player in the $450-billion global ICT market.
Bonifacio Belen, executive director of Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it), said the use and promotion of OSS is also in the roadmap of Cebu’s ICT industry.
He said the first Philippine Open Source Summit, held in Cebu last week, provided ICT industry players a venue to discuss the agenda that will provide enhanced support for OSS.
He said that a number of open source advocates, most of whom became prominent only this year, have also expressed support for the program.
“The open source movement is taking the world by storm,” he said.
Belen headed the forum on understanding the business value of open source during the summit.
Edward Gaisano, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said the open source summit also provided the business community an opportunity to learn how to fully utilize OSS to achieve “maximum returns.”
During the summit, open source stakeholders met to discuss the establishment of the National Open Source Association and to launch the Asia Open Source Conference and Showcase scheduled in October this year. The Asia Open Source
Conference and Showcase will be held in Cebu.
Timely
Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) said the holding of the summit was timely since President Arroyo recently signed Proclamation 1521, designating June as National ICT Month.
Chua gave the keynote speech during the opening of the summit.
In his speech, he lauded the efforts of the CCCI and Cedf-it for including the open source summit among the activities of this year’s Cebu Business Month.
“Cebu has once again broken ground in hosting this summit,” he added.
More than 300 professionals in the ICT industry as well as participating companies joined the two-day convention.
Aside from Cedf-it and CCCI, Global Gateway Venture Capital (G2VC) also co-organized the summit while the CICT and the Department of Trade and Industry collaborated with the private group.
G2VC is a technology investor that focuses on open source, software as a service and engineering services in Asia. Its affiliates include Morph Labs, which holds office in Cebu City. (DME)
