In light of recent events related to Davao’s IT industry and that of Japan’s, I’d like to bring your attention to the state of Japanese-language education in Davao City. These events are: 1) the growing interest of Japanese entities (IT companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations) in the growth of our IT industry; 2) the same level of interest in the city’s IT manpower; 3) the activities of some sectors aimed at attracting Japanese investments here.

This is just an overview. I welcome your input, as well as any support towards arriving at a more in-depth, research-based study of advancements made in this field. •••Read on»

Christopher Cubos and I, ever since we got acquainted in the mid-90s, have been known to be at loggerheads when it comes to certain industry issues. For example, way back in the early days of Philippine Internet (Web 0.5?), we had a long-running argument about content vs. design.

However, we are in wholehearted agreement on one thing: community-building. On this score, we are completely on the same side. (Actually, we agree on two things: the other one is good food.) •••Read on»

As Silicon Valley has proven time and again, the foundation of a successful and sustainable I.T. industry is academe. Cebu, by the success of its Cebu Educational Development Foundation for I.T. (CEDF-it) program, is adding credence to this model. And Davao City (“Silicon Paddy” according to my colleague, Jason Banico) might also contribute empirical data to this in a few short school years.

A couple of years ago, through the initiative of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc (DCCCII), an extensive educational program was instituted for the development of entrepreneurship training at colleges in the Davao Region. This was in partnership with the Philippines-Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF), and funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). This bore fruit when 12 colleges and universities were introduced to curriculum development coaching for an entrepreneurship program in information technology courses. The coaching ran from December 2006 to January 2007.

According to Cornelia Victolero, I.T. consultant of Davao Doctors College, the output is an elective course (3 units) which is targeted at students enrolled in Computer Science and other related majors. Each college may have different guidelines, but I think it would be a beneficial idea to offer this elective to students of any course. •••Read on»

iThink Technologies, an IT training facility in Davao, launched its Microsoft training and certification program today at The Venue. Together with iThink was Microsoft Philippines and edupro inc., a Manila-based training institute and Microsoft-Certified Partner for Learning Solutions.

•••Read on»

During last Tuesday’s Techno Kapehan at DTI-XI, we had guests over from the Philippine National IT Standards Foundation (PhilNITS) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and they brought with them some very encouraging news. I shall write in more detail about the program that they’re putting together with DTI, but in a nutshell, the PhilNITS IT engineers’ exams is coming back to Davao!

•••Read on»

Last Saturday, I gave a talk on the Davao Region ICT Cluster to a group of MBA students at the University of Mindanao. The event was a symposium on industry clustering, and government representatives from the Department of Trade & Industry - Region XI gave separate presentations on regional development strategies and creating competitive advantage.

•••Read on»

NEAR THE TOP of a commercial high-rise in downtown Davao is a high-tech company that develops state-of-the-art business solutions for North American companies. In another building is an unassuming, but ultra-modern, geographical information systems company that counts numerous local governments across various regions as part of its portfolio. And yet in another location is a graphics design outfit that has won international recognition.

•••Read on»