Failure of representation

by Blogie • 7 April 2008

The last TechnoKapihan, which happened on April 2nd, was not a very successful event, in my opinion. Not a failure, mind you, but disappointing. For one, there were less than a dozen who attended — although, there was a hopeful sign: we had three or four first-timers. The old guard were there, but sans a couple of mainstays due to business trips.

However, it’s not only the number of participants that’s in consideration here. The Davao TechnoKapihan is ideally an industry-wide coming together for discussion, planning, catching up on the latest… all for the purpose of somehow getting the Davao IT industry moving forward. But the event has never gotten everybody together at all.

While there are those who have been trying to jumpstart the Kapihan from the very start, I’m afraid a large chunk of the members of industry are not participatory.

Why? Is it apathy? That could be part of the mix, but it’s not the whole recipe.

We’ve all heard the expression, "There’s no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher." The analogy is probably a stretch, but I’d like to lay it down just the same: the supposed powers that be in Davao’s IT industry do not seem to be representative of the population. In other words, if the generals are not able to rally their troops, that’s not the failure of the latter.

It frustrates me why the real industry players do not contribute as much as I think they should in building Davao IT as a whole. But at the same time, I do understand why. As both a member and an observer of this industry, I’ve been noticing a certain common sentiment percolating among my colleagues. From one of the Dabawenyo software developers — who is not active in any IT organization but is otherwise talented and business-savvy — I got this comment: ‘Our concerns are not being addressed by the existing organized entities who purport to be our leaders.’

That about sums it up, I think.

The root of the problem is something I’ve previously pointed out: we don’t know where we are, what are strengths are, so we’re practically groping in the dark, hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone just has to realize that he’s got a lighter in his pocket.

On a more hopeful note, this year will see more IT events that will aim to bring in more investments to Davao. This I gathered from the TechnoKapihan last week. I look forward to seeing more of my colleagues getting involved here, as well as seeing IT organizations becoming more attuned to the real deal behind what they perceive to be the city’s IT industry.