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.

Another organization that has laid a stake in our I.T. industry is the Mindanao Business Council (MBC). It is the aggrupation of the various chambers of commerce in the island of Mindanao. Its participation in the I.T. industry is its ownership of the “brand name” of the Mindanao ICT Summit (MICT), the annual franchise of which it awards to the host organization. This year, the MICT will come home to Davao and will be hosted by the DCCCII.

ICT Davao, being a newly-formed entity, was graciously offered co-participation by DCCCII in this event, which is tentatively scheduled for November 2007. The organization was even promised 25% of the MICT’s profits. But, as we were to find out later, this offer was not authorized by the Davao Chamber’s Board. In fact, the Chamber and MBC themselves have apparently not yet finalized franchise arrangements for this year’s MICT Summit.

Many in the I.T. industry feel that an undertaking such as the MICT should be entrusted to the real stakeholders. After all, the content of such events will ultimately have to emanate from the real industry players. However, the Summit is the property of the MBC, and it has sole discretion in its disposition. (So, it might be a sound idea for ICT Davao’s leadership to gain more influence within MBC, for the sake of the future of the MICT Summit.)

Or, ICT Davao — the true stakeholders of Davao’s I.T. industry — could organize its own annual event.

During the last Techno Kapehan, DCCCII trustee Andre Fournier announced (in the presence of MBC executive director Jason Magnaye) that negotiations for the MICT would be completed “soon.” The Chamber also requested ICT Davao until the end of April for the finalization of arrangements detailing the latter’s participation in the Summit.

The deadline, however, has been crossed, with no word reaching ICT Davao. During the same Kapehan, the I.T. umbrella organization’s officers and directors, led by Bong Tee, announced that ICT Davao would embark on the city’s own I.T. industry summit, should the Chamber fail to communicate with the organization by the end of April.

At this point, it isn’t yet clear what kind of event ICT Davao will organize. The scope — sub-sectors involved, the target market, etc. — hasn’t been defined yet. On the other hand, it is hopeful to note that the people who comprise this organization are experienced in such events as COMDDAP and One Internet Day. But the important point is, it is ICT Davao that now possesses the rightful mandate to spearhead I.T. industry events in Davao.

The rationale behind organizing a Davao I.T. Summit? Industry consolidation. Strengthening. The push forward. An institutionalized annual event could become the rallying point for the entire I.T. industry. And having such an event could very well release the impetus for positive growth among Davao’s technology providers.

Allow me now to contextualize the present situation of Davao’s I.T. industry. Let’s leave Metro Manila alone: it is already the de facto industry leader. But consider Metro Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, even Dumaguete: these are very aggressive investment destinations that pose stiff competition for Davao. At the risk of sounding disloyal to my beloved city, I might even venture to say that these cities are already way ahead of Davao. From an outsider’s viewpoint, the I.T. industries of these locales seem more vibrant, more solid.

Davao’s enormity, in terms of population and geography, is the reason for the abundance of our resources. But this is also proving to be a bane to our ability to get organized in a meaningful way. But, we shouldn’t use this as a scapegoat. If this year the leaders of Davao’s I.T. industry succeed in setting a very specific goal that majority of the stakeholders will acknowledge, then we will have achieved more than what we’ve been trying to in the past decade.

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