Monday, September 24, 2007 City performs well in ICT scoreboard
DAVAO City is ready to compete with other cities in the country in terms of information and communications technology, following a satisfactory performance in the ICT Scorecard.
Lizabel Holganza, president of the MTC Academy and the congress director of the 6th Mindanao ICT Congress, said Davao City achieved 80 percent performance in terms of ICT.
"The ICT readiness of a city can be measured through the ICT Scorecard. It is composed of 10 parameters including the competency of the human resources or the workforce potential and the infrastructures, sa mga parameters na ito sinisukat ang readiness ng city," Holganza said in Friday's Kapihan sa PIA.
It was learned that among the parameters included in measuring the ICT Scorecard are the quality of life, incentives, transport infrastructure, power infrastructure, LGU/community support, vendor support, real estate, telecom infrastructure, and the workforce potential.
Holganza said that every year, Davao City's ICT Scorecard is reviewed, and if ever the city is able to add new ICT facilities, the city's ICT scorecard increases.
"Our ICT Scorecard increased because we have a lot of existing BPO companies now, we also have an IT Park, this would only mean that Davao City is very attractive to ICT investments," Holganza said.
Earlier, DTI assistant secretary Merly M. Cruz said Davao City ranks high as an attractive ICT investment location by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology.
She said the city was also declared as an ICT Hub in the Philippines by the National Telecommunications Office.
The city currently has a total of 35 existing business process outsourcing (BPO) companies at present. Nine of these are call centers, five are medical transcription companies, 15 are software development companies, five are animation/web companies, and only one graphics and engineering company.
"We only have one graphics and engineering company maybe because of the competency reason, we have lack of skilled human resources or maybe hindi ganun kalaki ang demand kaya konti lang ang pumapasok sa gano'ng skill," she said. (JGRS)
