THE historic resort city of Lapu-Lapu is set to host the first ever Regional ICT Summit and Exhibitions (RISE) 2023 in the Visayas of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to showcase the regional potential of Central Visayas in the ICT sector on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.
Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue of the ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB) said that under the guidance of the Agency, RISE will support the IT-BPM Centers of Excellence, New Wave Cities, and Digital Cities, offering them a platform to showcase their locations and contribute to building a diverse and inclusive digital ecosystem nationwide.
“The Office of the Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development Bureau together with various international and local Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offices is looking into Region 7’s job-readiness as the IT-BPM industry targets additional 1-million jobs concentrated outside of Metro Manila by 2028,” Batapa-Sigue said.
RISE is geared to gather leading ICT experts and potential investors to present the region to the IT-BPM industry to attract ICT jobs, investments and opportunities and maximizing the role of local ICT councils. Aside from BPO industry locators and ICT councils – the third sector coming to RISE are "ecosystem builders" like universities, incubators and technology providers.
RISE is targeted to showcase and evaluate the holistic readiness of regions for digital jobs within the IT-BPM sector, touching on talent development, digital workforce competence, business environment, and other critical considerations, by delving deeper into the readiness of local communities for digital jobs in the IT-BPM and other ICT sectors while emphasizing the role of ICT councils in driving these initiatives.
The one-day event that will feature a high-level roundtable discussion on the IT-BPM industry will be held at Vista Mar Beach Resort and Country Club from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Composed of four provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental, Central Visayas boasts of 200,000 employees in the ICT Industry and is home to more than a hundred companies.
DICT aims to aid in the development of the industry through events like RISE to support an ever-growing digital economy.
Philippine Start-up Challenge 8
Meanwhile, the eight Philippine StartUp Challenge (PSC) National Finals will also be held at the Vista Mar Beach Resort and Country Club on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
The Philippine Startup Challenge is a startup competition which aims to encourage and inspire college students to create innovative and relevant ICT services that may also be viable business ventures.
This initiative is geared towards promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship in ICT among the youth and also to ensure the continuous creation of investible ideas and startup founders that will liven the local ecosystem.