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.
The event was auspiciously marked by the strong sentiment among the ICT Davao constituency regarding the organization’s role in industry. Perhaps due to the dismal performance of previous so-called umbrella organizations, this brand-new group appears to be dead set on claiming the pole position in the race to bring Davao to its long-sought-after “ICT Hub” status. As well it should. No other entity now has the mandate.
Also during Techno Kapehan, which was hosted by Damosa Land, the Damosa I.T. Park project was discussed. It was a good opportunity for them to clear up some uncertainties that have surrounded the project. Ricky Floirendo, VP of Damosa Land, and Ed Villaver, project director of the I.T. Park, gave an overview of the development. It was also fortunate that the operations manager of Link2Support — the I.T. Park’s first locator — was in attendance, and was able to confirm Damosa Land’s statements regarding the present status of the I.T. Park.
Villaver explained that they were overwhelmed by the entry of Link2Support and its subsequent expansion soon after. Apparently, the I.T. Park is planned to be built in phases, and the building now completely occupied by the call center was phase 1. In other words, according to Villaver, their plans were suddenly moved up, especially that the call center is now bursting at the seams. Villaver says that the next building (which will also be used by Link2Support) is estimated to be finished in 6 months. This doesn’t seem to sound very viable… hopefully Damosa Land will be able to step it up.
During the open forum, it did sound to this writer that the I.T. Park developers do realize the enormity of this undertaking, and that much more has to be accomplished in order to make this PEZA-accredited investment zone even more attractive to locators. Now if only Damosa Land will field more personable, more courteous frontline personnel….
Present as well during the Kapehan was National Telecommunications Commission director, Mr. Josue Go. Tesda and mainstay DTI were also represented. It is indeed a hopefuly sign that more government agencies are beginning to “come online.”
The next Techno Kapehan will be held on 23 May 2007 at the NCCC Mall, and will be sponsored by IBM Philippines.
Now, if only the upcoming electoral exercise could be just as actively participated in by voters, I believe our country will have far to go. Why don’t we sign-up for VforCE: 1 million Volunteers for Clean Elections and do our share?
It’s good that they seem to realise the enourmity, but I’m more interested in knowing if they at least have a hint of competence for effectively taking on the task. Tricky question, I know. But indulge me nevertheless, Blogs. What do you think?
“Now if only Damosa Land will field more personable, more courteous frontline personnel….”
Hey, give us the details! What did those Damosa folks do?
Yeah, I’m also concerned about how competent they are exactly, how effective they will be in creating an IT park. Will it be an IT park in the end, or just another land development project with only Link2Support as the only IT locator (technically, though, it’s not even an IT company).
Details…? Ikaw talaga ha, may pagka-tsismoso ka rin pala!
Well, I find their frontline personnel lacking in proper attitudes. (The big-wigs, as expected, are very accommodating and pleasant — but you can’t expect Floirendo or Villaver to be the ones facing everybody interested in the IT park.) One of the reasons why I was embarrassed by this experience was, the person to whom we spoke acted so ‘ho-hum’, like she couldn’t have cared less.
“the person to whom we spoke acted so ‘ho-hum’, like she couldn’t have cared less”
Wait a minute. Are you referring to the same person that I’m thinking you’re referring to? (Hehe). I think she’s also the one in charge of Damosa Gateway, yes? If I’m correct, then I know exactly what you mean. And I’m pretty sure all the other tenants of Damosa Gateway will agree that she does act so ‘ho-hum’
haha! her reputation precedes her pala! actually, a friend of mine said, “ganyan talaga yan sya.” but is that an excuse? she’s representing her company for crying out loud! she’s representing a potentially huge undertaking in Davao, so she should realize how her personality just might affect future business of Damosa Land.
I heard that she’s a nice person once you get to know her better. But yeah, she needs to work on her customer relations skills. Anyway, enough about that. Talking about someone is bad enough. Talking about someone on-line where other people can read our comments takes it to a whole different level!
(Might be a good idea to delete the last four comments. Just a thought. Hehe)