Before anything else, allow me to give you a brief backgrounder on the Davao I.T. industry’s present situation. This year, the umbrella organization of all I.T.-related associations, ICT Davao Inc., was established. It is heavily supported by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. (DCCCII), via funding from AusAID. ICT Davao’s predecessor, the ICT Council, was also organized under the auspices of the Davao Chamber.

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PLDT and Smart Communications, obviously the country’s largest telecommunications conglomerate, held a technology update get-together with Davao’s I.T. industry last 25 April 2007. It was part of a nationwide roadshow that the PLDT Group is conducting in order to touch base with existing and potential clientele in key cities. Davao’s was co-hosted by the Davao Chamber and ICT Davao Inc.

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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has apparently directed Damosa Land to ‘keep lease rates down’ in order to attract more locators. Damosa I.T. Park director Ed Villaver revealed this interesting fact during this month’s Techno Kapehan. He said this was to be his company’s counterpart to the incentives PEZA will provide investors. It’s rather strange that, instead of ensuring that Damosa Land commit to export zone standards, PEZA chooses to dish out such platitudes.

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Last 18 April 2007 at the 4th Techno Kapehan, the ICT Davao Inc. held its first Induction of Officers. Led by its founding president, Bong Tee, and sworn into office by Councilor Pete Laviña, the new set of officers and directors are now faced with the challenge of steering Davao’s I.T. industry into the future. ICT Davao is the umbrella organization of all industry associations that exist within the local I.T. industry arena. At present the number of organizational members stands at eleven.

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Davao’s I.T. industry is at a crossroads. Things are finally starting to happen: the various I.T. associations have at last recognized an umbrella organization; other industry associations are now on the road to aligning themselves with the I.T. industry; local companies are now more aware and accepting of I.T. products and services. So where do we go from here?

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A group of Japanese investors was in town for a look-see over the weekend. They were 3 top executives of an I.T. firm based in Tokyo, and a Manila-based Japanese investor. They were accompanied by a Filipino investment agent who contacted the Department of Trade & Industry - XI for arrangements in Davao.

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Aside from the two well-publicized contact centers in Davao — Gcom and Link2Support — there apparently are a few more now operating in the city. A friend recently brought to my attention one of these low-key BPO operators; he works there and he said there were only 10 of them in active duty. I was surprised that there was another call center that seems to have passed below the radar, and that my friend turned out to be skilled in this area of expertise. Which re-emphasized to me a weakness in Davao’s I.T. industry: we have no definitive skills survey available until now.

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It appears there’s something brewing in the Pinoy blogosphere. Abe Olandres reported over at Yugatech that a new issue has seemingly arisen from the recently-concluded Philippine Blog Awards: whether blogging is a right or a privilege. My take on that post and the accompanying comments: before saying anything, people should try to look up the true meanings of these two words first, then see what sets them apart. •••Read on»