BACOLOD lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, one of the eight recipients of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (Towns) Awards this year, has vowed to continue her advocacy for information and communication technology (ICT) in the countryside.
Batapa-Sigue, executive director of Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communication Technology (BNEFIT), who received the award Thursday night, said the recognition is going to inspire her to spread the ICT advocacy to other cities and provinces.
“Practically, it is just a validation of the advocacy that I have been espousing ever since which is anchored on multi-stakeholder collaboration,” she added.
“I want to share it with all the ICT stakeholders in the countryside, and to all my colleagues in the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) especially the different ICT councils in the country,” said Batapa-Sigue, a former city councilor of Bacolod.
She also thanked the city and provincial government officials and schools as well as the ICT companies that have put their trust and confidence to Bacolod in terms of countryside development.
Batapa-Sigue, as the volunteer consultant of the Negros Occidental provincial government for ICT Investments, assists in developing the Negros First Cyber Centre, which hosts the first Technology Business Incubator (TBI) for tech startups in the province.
Through her leadership, Bacolod was put in the global ICT map as the 85th City in the Tholons International Top 100 Cities in the world, and currently the latest Center of Excellence for IT-Business Process Management in the Philippines.
Batapa-Sigue, who currently leads the Visayas ICT Cluster Organization, was mainly recognized by Towns for her contribution in generating jobs and investments through her pioneering work in ICT.
Through the NICP, where she is the trustee and past president, Batapa-Sigue was able to lead projects and campaigns to help local government units (LGUs) develop their ICT ecosystems for job and investment generation.
The awarding rites was led by Towns president Elsa Payumo and Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia De Lima at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Makati City.
The triennial award recognizes the Filipino women’s commitment to making positive impact on the country's development through their respective works.