Another potential investment in the field of business process outsourcing (BPO) is on the horizon. Michael Chua of Transkripsyo Inc, a 200-seat medical transcription company based in Ortigas, was in Davao last 29 May 2007 for a first-hand look at what the Land of Promise has to offer.

Chua was welcomed by Wit Holganza, school administrator of MTC Academy and founding president of Transcription Alliance of Davao Inc (TADI). Holganza reports that Chua considers Davao as having 3 plus points: a significant pool of human capital; the city’s accessibility in terms of air routes; and, lower power rates compared to Iloilo’s. •••Read on»

It was an interesting and eye-opening meeting I had with an Aussie and a Kiwi at the DTI-11 yesterday. The Australian, Quentin Kilian, and the New Zealander, Craig Hubbard, were in town to do a public demonstration of the BIMP-Eaga Business Portal. BIMP-Eaga… Australia?? Let me elaborate.

Ever since 1992 when the Eaga was established — through the efforts of then-Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, Paul Dominguez — Australia’s Northern Territory has been keen on joining this 4-nation aggrupation. For example, in 1995, an Australian trade mission participated in the BIMP-Eaga Agri Aqua Fair in Davao, to which they brough live ostriches! •••Read on»

As Davao Chamber trustee Andre Fournier has pointed out, the Techno Kapehan has become a mainstay in Davao’s ICT arena. Initiated by the DCCCII, the Techno Kapehan is a once-a-month informal gathering of the city’s industry associations, businessmen, government officials and the media. This month’s session (23 May 2007) was hosted by NCCC Mall.

The main topic during the 5th Kapehan was the Mindanao ICT Congress, which is now definitely scheduled from 23 to 27 October 2007. The Davao Chamber explained that the reason for the delay in the announcement of the event’s particulars was the negotiations with the BIMP-Eaga, whose leadership had apparently expressed an intent to take part in the MICT Congress, but could not firmly commit to a November schedule, hence the need for further negotiations. •••Read on»

In the business of selling high-tech gadgets, especially telecommunications devices, it is paramount that the company website communicates well to its target market. One such enterprise is PMC Telecom, which carries the line of BT Phones. They’ve recently redesigned their website, which now appears to be very straightforward in its sales and marketing approach.

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At this juncture in the Age of Information, practically everybody is already aware of the benefits of deploying I.T.-based systems, of automating processes. Today’s up-take of technology by businesses is tremendous, even in the Philippines. And if it’s good enough for business, I can’t see any reason why it won’t be good for government as well. And yet, our government seems to be resistant to technological change.

Sure, the national government finally established the Commission on ICT, and we now have more public officials paying lip service to the virtues of high-tech stuff. But take a look at I.T. deployment in government and you’ll see what I mean. Take, for example, the Comelec. In my opinion, its failed computerization project should be an embarrassment to the country’s entire I.T. industry. •••Read on»

In the electronic world, Filipinos are known for spending an inordinate amount of time on computer games, mobile phones (SMS, MMS, ring tones, what have you), YouTube, and other newfangled digital stuff. I guess it’s due to our penchant for communication, for keeping in touch, but especially for letting our friends and family know what we’re up to.

The perfect answer to the Filipino’s thirst for multimedia solutions might just be this new service that I found on the Web: AVS4YOU. Basically, it’s a set of software that lets you create and manage digital video & audio, as well as do multimedia processing. •••Read on»

With the elections over, it’s pretty much back to business as usual. Davao’s I.T. industry players are gearing up for this year’s major events. In particular, the Mindanao ICT Congress (I mistakenly termed it “MICT Summit” in previous articles) is starting to gain some ground.

Finally, the MICT Congress franchise owner and this year’s host organization have agreed on the broad strokes of the event’s planning and management. The Mindanao Business Council (MBC) and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry have set the date on 26 to 28 October 2007. And, the inclusion and participation of the Davao ICT Inc. has also been approved in principle.

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Bonifacio Belen, organizing committee chairman, was in town last Wednesday for the Davao leg of the CEBU ICT 2007 Roadshow. He’d been to Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and other cities in order to invite and encourage I.T. organizations and companies to participate. During the Davao Roadshow, Belen gave a very rousing presentation of the Philippine I.T. industry’s present situation, vis-à-vis our Asian neighbors’.

According to Belen, the Fortune 500 magazine ranks the Philippines second only to India in terms of I.T. industry growth and development. Considering our comparative geographical size and population, this is indeed a remarkable piece of statistic. If Cebu’s local I.T. industry is any indication, our country’s being #2 is indeed credible. •••Read on»

This coming June 2007, Cebu will have become one of the major hotspots of I.T. development in Asia. Already, it is the site of major international contact center operators; it has a notable presence of animation and software developers; and it boasts of the most successful I.T. alliance of industry and academe in the country, among others.

What will put Cebu firmly on the world’s I.T. map, however, is the C.E.BU. ICT 2007 International Conference & Exhibition. This monumental event will be held in Metro Cebu from 26 to 28 June 2007. To give you a bird’s-eye view of the event’s overarching objective, it is subtitled “The Asian Hubs in the Service of the Global ICT Industry“. And the battle cry is: “Pioneering Landmark ICT Collaboration in Asia“.

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Davao has come a long way in the world of information technology. Ever since the city became Internet-connected in 1996, we’ve made huge strides towards developing our local I.T. industry. Now we are at a point where we are able to compete gainfully in the international arena. Well, to a certain extent.

One of our weaks points is that, Davao as an I.T. hub or outsourcing destination is still relatively unknown. On the other hand, we have an advantage which we should exploit. As a fledgling industry, we have at our disposal the experiences of — and lessons learned by — other cities. Domestically, there’s Cebu as a model. Abroad, there’s the Silicon Valley in California. We could even take a long look at Bangalore, India.

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