Comments on: ‘Invest in Davao because…’

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:55:03 +0000

To refine Dominique’s first point, I would like to add that we have to be careful about how we go about improving the skills of our people. Let’s not limit the activity by building skills on our own (that is, where Davao is operating in a vacuum). Michael Porter’s competitive clusters theory is still good these days, but we have to remember that his theory was presented in the 90s and many refinements have been added on to it since. Specifically in the area of knowledge acquisition. We need to realize that tacit knowledge in ICT (both the technical and the business aspects of it) is already present and abundant outside of Davao City. We should also be thinking about how to access, use, and improve upon that pre-existing external knowledge so that we hit the ground running. One way to go about it is to form relationships (academic, business, formal, informal, etc.) with people outside the city. Anything that links people in Davao to people outside Davao is a potential channel that we can use to funnel knowledge and skills inwards.

By: Blogie

Blogie — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:58:24 +0000

i agree with you wholeheartedly, dom!
(your davaoblogs.com acct is now OK)

By: Dominique

Dominique — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:34:03 +0000

Hi, Blogs: good points here and in your previous entry. Two points I’d like to make:

1) Davao should concentrate on its people and skills profile rather than on the infrastructure. Infrastructure is great, but it can be built in fairly short order. Skills, on the other hand, take a bit longer.

2) Davao needs to address security perceptions. This is one of its biggest stumbling blocks — the fact that it is in Mindano and therefore “close” to all the trouble in Basilan.

By the way, can you have a look at my davaoblogs account? I registered, but I didn’t get the confirmation email.