VOLUNTARY organizations, by their very nature, are comprised of members who participate and contribute for a cause. When the members of a voluntary organization turn cold and cease to be actively involved, I can think of only two reasons: the cause is no longer valid; or, the leadership is not up to the members’ expectations. In my opinion, the reason could never be apathy on the part of the members. Apathy is the effect.

The ICT Council of Davao is the umbrella organization of all Davao-based information technology associations. Various non-profit groups from the private sector and academe, as well as from government, are represented. It was formed with noble aspirations: to bring together all stakeholders of its industry in order to provide much-needed direction setting. Regrettably, after several years of stagnation, the Council?s existence is on the block.

The Council was brought to life by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry, through funding from the Canadian government’s PEARL program. After extensive research and consultation that began about five years ago, the Chamber had discerned that the IT industry at that time was in need of such an organization. Thus, a core group of the key personalities of the industry was convened. However, while the end-goal was worthwhile, the process by which the Council was eventually formed was inconsistent with the real needs of local IT players and businesses.

Unfortunately, the core group failed to establish the parameters that should have defined the Council. And due to this, the initial success in initiating this aggrupation of industry sectors was not carried over to the ensuing continuity phase. One of the most important parameters, in my opinion, should have been the guidelines for membership.

As an umbrella organization, the Council should ideally be made up of existing IT organizations in Davao. This is because these are the groups that already have issues and concerns, as well as contributions. However, there was a period when the Council focused its energies overmuch on the formation of new and unorganized sectors. Moreover, individuals found themselves able to become members, without the benefit of representing any outside organization. (Ironically, these individuals turned out to be the most active members.) But in the critical phase when the challenges of legitimate member-organizations should have been addressed, the Council fell short.

It did so because the member-organizations were no longer interested in the Council, thus leaving the latter shorthanded. This might be viewed as a failure on the part of these members, by being inactive. But I beg to disagree. We go back to the fact that the Council is a voluntary organization.

Still, there truly is a need for the Council — the cause is very much alive. It is the one organization that can act as the voice and advocate of the whole IT industry, which is composed of widely varying sectors. It will have the legitimacy to address common industry concerns and challenges. And, it could be the instrumental agent in bringing Davao’s IT industry into maturity.

Before it dips below the radar, the ICT Council of Davao must be revived with new leadership and renewed commitment from its ranks. This is imperative, especially in this period of the city’s growth as the center of Mindanao’s IT businesses. On their own, the various IT associations in Davao are sound and very much alive. However, it will only be through the authority of such an overarching organization as the ICT Council that the interests of all can be coalesced into a cohesive master plan that will provide the industry with the push forward.