March 12, 2009, Manila, Philippines — Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today formally announced that tens of thousands of edits made by Filipinos on Google Map Maker can now be seen on Google Maps. Google Map Maker–an application that allows users to edit Google Maps data–was launched in the Philippines in October last year to provide local map enthusiasts a means to personally contribute to the building and updating of online map data for the country. Now millions of Google Maps users around the world can see more accurate and updated online maps of the Philippines including new roads, points of interests and regions all over the country.

Since the launch of Google Map Maker in the Philippines, hundreds of users have contributed tens of thousands of edits, reflecting the overwhelming enthusiasm by Filipinos to collaborate online and share their knowledge of their neighbourhoods with the rest of the Internet community. Google Map Maker edits have come from a diverse group of Filipino users all over the country including civil engineers, business executives, programmers, entrepreneurs, and students. Through a moderation and verification process, most of these edits, which include street-level data, landmark tags and business establishments, can now be seen on Google Maps.

“Congratulations to the thousands of Filipino users who have successfully contributed to Google Map Maker! The Philippines is one of the most challenging places to map because of the diverse topography of its more than 7,000 islands–this is why there is a dearth of accurate map data available online. Because of the collaborative efforts of local map enthusiasts, we are beginning to see the “physical face” of the Philippines getting clearer over time for the global community to see. This is a great start, but know there is much more to do, so we encourage you to join your fellow Pinoys and contribute to Google Map Maker to give the Philippines an accurate virtual country map to be proud of,” said Derek Callow, Head of Marketing, Google Southeast Asia.

“I’m passionate about editing maps and Google Map Maker’s interface is very intuitive and user-friendly. I started adding streets and establishments in Tuguegarao, where I was born, and Baguio City, where we lived when I was growing up. Then I quickly moved on to editing municipalities and cities,” said Wayne Manuel, one of the Philippines’ top contributors to Google Map Maker with several thousand edits. Manuel is a Chemical Engineering Filipino student currently studying overseas at the National University of Singapore. “It started out like a big jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing. But when I saw the roads, street names and landmarks coming together on Google Map Maker, I felt really happy for my country and it encouraged me to contribute even more,” Manuel said.

“Seeing that the edits–including the ones I did–have been pushed to Google Maps means the Philippines is more and more on the global map, and that we put it there through our own Pinoy passion! It was personally satisfying for me. The reason I set out making edits is because I wanted to help promote the places that I grew up in and the country as a whole to the rest of the world. The mission continues and I hope even more Filipinos will join us on Google Map Maker to improve the online map of our beautiful country,” said Bernard Arellano III, another top contributor to Google Map Maker in the Philippines. Arellano, who works as a call center agent, made several thousand edits on Guimaras and Iloilo.

”I think it’s important that local users keep the edits coming in because having accurate map data helps promote the country’s viability to foreign investors and tourists,” said Dante Varias, a 56-year-old civil engineer who is also among Google Map Maker’s top contributors for the Philippines. “The Google Map Maker interface is so user-friendly you don’t need any specialized training before you can start editing.” Varias said that he had been looking for map-making software prior to the launch of Google Map Maker late last year. “When I discovered Google Map Maker, I immediately started enjoying the process of editing the map tiles of Cavite, so much so that after only 37 days, I had already added over several thousand edits on my own.”

Here are some screenshots and videos showing the amazing contributions of thousands of users of Google Map Maker in the Philippines:

Manila [watch video]

Cebu [watch video]

Davao [watch video]

About Google Inc.

Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising programme provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.google.com.ph/.

Google and Google Maps are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

The seminar, held at the Grand Men Seng Hotel from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, focused on developing business applications for Windows Mobile, presented by Jao, who is a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) for Device Applications Development. In attendance were representatives of corporate IT departments and independent software companies, as well as freelance programmers and students.

Judging by their positive reactions, participants of the seminar appreciated not only the expert delivery of the seminar’s content, but the content itself. Key points of Jao’s presentation were: new features of Microsoft’s development platforms, trends in mobile applications, the business aspect of developing and deploying mobile applications.

‘Mobile application’ refers to software programs built for portable devices such as mobile phones and other handheld gadgets. Jao also announced the availability of the new Internet Explorer Mobile 6, which is now ready for download.

Representing Microsoft Philippines were Ma. Angelica Radan, who heads product and audience marketing, and George Parrilla, who is a partner account manager based out of Cebu.

Radan announced that Davao City would be the venue of a Developer Days event early next year. “DevDays” is a uniquely Microsoft brand of getting IT professionals together in high-tech and interactive educational sessions, and where this software giant’s new and emerging technologies are unveiled. More details of this major undertaking will be announced here in the near future.

Another welcome development is Microsoft’s stance in supporting local companies through the provision of affordable business software. Yes, that’s right: affordable Microsoft products. These are not stripped-down versions of Microsoft Office or SequelServer or any such ploy. Radan explains that MS Philippines is offering their industry-strength development applications at ridiculously low rates in order to help startups grow their business.

Radan expounded further that the real objective is to help improve local economies by strengthening the IT industry, particularly the software development sector. By encouraging the development of local talent, she explained, this sector will be able to gainfully contribute to the strengthening of the Philippine economy. As can be seen in their educational thrusts, MS Philippines “is becoming very aggressive in evangelizing new technologies that can help the economy by developing technical skills,” Radan said.

This “local software economy initiative” is called BizSpark. For only US$100, SMITEs (small and medium IT enterprises) will be able to avail of licenses for Microsoft’s development tools, operating systems, even MS Office®. Eligible to apply for this offering are startup IT companies (i.e., less than 3 years in existence) with an operating capitalization of not more than Php1.5 million. Also, interested companies must be nominated and sponsored by a Microsoft network partner.

In Davao City, the Association of Solution Integrators in Davao (ASID) is in talks with MS Philippines to become the local network partner here. ASID shares Microsoft’s conviction in developing the local economy through information technology, and is committed to buttressing the software sector.

BizSpark will be launched on 11 December 2008. ASID will be entertaining applications to this initiative soon after. More details on this as we finalize arrangements with MS Philippines. Yours truly is the executive director of ASID, and will be making sure that Davao IT companies benefit from this program.

Speaking of marketing, here’s something that might be of interest: Ned and Ardy Roberto releases marketing business solutions book.

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.

It is probably safe to assume that the first Japanese-language educational institution in Davao is the Philippine Nikkei-Jin Kai (PNJK). Established in 1985 as an organization of Japanese-Filipino descendants, they started offering Nihongo instruction to the general public in the early 1990s. There are a handful of other language schools that also carry basic Nihongo classes, but it is only PNJK that has been able to sustain its program. Perhaps a good reason for this is the dedicated support that the PNJK receives from its principals and from the Japan Foundation – Manila Office (JFMO). The JFMO is an agency of the Japanese government that, in a nutshell, oversees Nihongo education all over the world.

In 2001, the same people behind PNJK established Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD, or Mindanao International College). MKD accepted its first batch of students in June 2002. This unique institution offers social development courses, as well as a program on international studies. All students are required to pass 18 units of Japanese-language studies in order to graduate. One indicator of the level of maturity of MKD’s Nihongo program is this remarkable factoid: each year since 2003, MKD students have been winning top places in the prestigious Nihongo Speech Contest, which is conducted annually by the JFMO in Metro Manila.

Today, most of the major universities in Davao offer Japanese-language education. However, except for MKD, none of them teach Nihongo beyond the basic levels. To date, only MKD students have been able to pass the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3 and above.

The JLPT is the global standard for mastery of the language; much like TOEFL and IELTS are for English. Level 1 is the highest, and Level 4 is for beginners. In order to pass Level 1, a learner must possess a minimum of 6,000 words in his Japanese vocabulary.

A downside to MKD is the absence of IT-related courses in its curricula. The college is perhaps still unaware of, or unimpressed by, the huge IT manpower deficit present in Japan today. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, Japan’s IT industry is in serious need of 150,000 warm bodies this year. Fulfilling this demand could be a wonderful challenge for MKD. With their leadership in Nihongo education in Davao, this college has the potential to be a catalyst of progress for our IT industry.

You see, with a significant number of Japanese-speaking IT workers in Davao, our city will not only become a more desirable source of IT manpower, but a viable and feasible investment destination for Japanese IT firms as well.

In the interim, Davao IT professionals and students can benefit from the presence of the Philippine National IT Standards Foundation (PhilNITS), which was inaugurated here in late 2007. This Foundation, for one, acts as a conduit between the IT industries of Japan and the Philippines. It could also become a venue for Dabawenyo programmers, computer engineers, etc. to pursue studies in the Japanese language.

At present, there are virtually no Nihongo-proficient IT professionals in Davao. I believe it is high time we started producing them in order to arrive at a critical mass that will attract high-value business investments into the city.

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.)

Recently, while I have been preoccupied with building a bloggers’ community in Davao (and Mindanao), Chris has been intent on helping develop the future movers and shakers of the city’s I.T. industry. His new restaurant in Metro Avenue, Fwendz Diner, has now become a hangout for I.T. professionals and college students taking up computer-related courses.

In his eagerness to foster the malleable and super-absorbent minds of young Dabawenyos, Chris welcomes these students into his fold, making his resources available to them. Truly inspiring efforts by an indomitable pioneer in the industry.

There are other, so-called I.T. industry leaders hereabouts. They are those who like to grandstand and toot their own horns. But Chris, who doesn’t fancy himself as a leader, is in fact one. Posterity will declare my friend to be one of those who truly, verifiably contributed to the growth of Davao I.T.

One of Chris’s current involvements now is the formation of a Drupal users and developers group in the city. Another is his participation in Ted Padova’s Adobe Acrobat evangelization efforts. And a recent development is the promotion of the “Silicon Gulf” concept, in which I intend to contribute as well.

Chris and I hold the belief that, in order to help spark growth, it must be done in, through and with the community. Synergies are important — no single entity can successfully bring about meaningful change in Davao’s already complicated I.T. industry setup.

If you’re an aspiring I.T. professional, I encourage you to participate in the informal get-togethers at Fwendz Diner. It’s a place not only for good and inexpensive food, but also for invaluable hands-on learning.

Speaking of schools, there is an annual event geared towards cultivating the youth. In case you’d like to share and do your part for Philippine I.T., sponsor the Philippine Schools Cyberfair 2008.

PhilNITS-Davao is basically a training and review center for the benefit of Davao- and Mindanao-based I.T. professionals who plan to take the aforementioned exams. It is located at the 5th floor of Mintrade building on Monteverde Ave. It is where the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) – Region 11 has its offices. Furthermore, according to Ms Maricor Akol, president of PhilNITS Foundation, the training center — which is, for one, equipped with top-of-the-line computers provided by Fujitsu — may also be used for seminars and workshops on skills building for SMEs. This is in line with the DTI’s thrust in developing the local I.T. industry by enhancing the technological know-how among Davao’s SMEs. The DTI, hand-in-hand with the ICT Industry Cluster of the Regional Development Council – Region 11, will be coming up with a series of training modules in order to achieve this goal.

What are the benefits of a PhilNITS certification?

To the individual I.T. professional who passes the FE or SW exam, the most immediate and perhaps most weighty is the availability of high-level employment. Passers of the exams will find themselves in huge demand by large technology corporations such as Fujitsu and NEC. In Japan alone, where these exams originated, there is a yearly requirement of 150,000 I.T. engineers. While they can recruit up to about 100,000 in-country, Ms Akol reports that the 50,000-man difference has to be sourced outside. PhilNITS has taken it upon itself to strive to supply a large chunk of this human resource deficit in Japan. Most Japanese I.T. corporations will hire only those who have passed at least the FE exam.

It was very uplifting what JETRO Executive Director Yasutomi Ota said during the PhilNITS-Davao press conference: He revealed that, according to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Manila, Japanese industries are eager to hire Filipino I.T. engineers. Mr Ota said that Japanese I.T. firms are thus anticipating the increase in the number of Filipinos who will pass the PhilNITS certification exams. The Japan External Trade Organization – Manila Office is one of the heavyweight supporters of PhilNITS.

While it will be advantageous for Filipino I.T. professionals to know Nihongo, it is in fact our English proficiency that is our edge. According to Hon. Toru Nakayama, a senior Japanese government official who graced the PhilNITS-Davao inauguration, Japanese I.T. companies see the value of Filipinos in the former’s efforts to compete in the American and European markets. Mr Nakayama is the Director of the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry of Japan.

Holders of PhilNITS certification can expect to be employed not only by companies in Japan. The I.T. exams originally created and administered by Japan are now recognized by, and implemented in, the following countries: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2003, PhilNITS and similar organizations in these countries have all congregated to form the I.T. Professional Examination Council (ITPEC). Council members now have mutual certification recognition agreements with the Japan I.T. Engineers Examination Center (JITEC). And, this has resulted in the wide acceptance of the I.T. exams.

I.T. industry watchers should not view this new development in light of the proverbial ‘brain drain’ problem. The reason I say this is that, having the PhilNITS certification here will actually be a boon to the local industry. The increase of PhilNITS-certified I.T. professionals will certainly amount to Davao and the Philippines being recognized as a viable investment destination for I.T. businesses. While it is a great probability that PhilNITS-certified Dabawenyos will migrate to Japan (or other countries) for higher-paying jobs, others may decide to stay on as masters of their own domains. Equipped with an internationally-recognized proof of proficiency, what’s to stop PhilNITS-certified Dabawenyos from establishing their own I.T. firms?

Such I.T. firms could proceed to become successful outsourcing outfits. Based in Davao, these companies could very well accept, say, Japanese service contracts, and therefore ultimately contribute to the development of our local I.T. industry. They could then provide gainful employment to other Dabawenyos, who could, in turn, prepare for their own PhilNITS certification. This is the favorable cycle being envisioned by the PhilNITS Foundation and its supporters. And once we have achieved critical mass — a sizable number of exam takers and passers — Davao will surely come under the radar of foreign I.T. investors.

The PhilNITS Davao Branch is a joint undertaking of the PhilNITS Foundation Inc. and DTI – Region 11, and is being supported locally by the ICT Industry Cluster – RDC11. For the first year of its operations, the branch will be headed up by Mr Shinichiro Kato, JETRO Expert and VP-Finance of the PhilNITS Foundation.

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.

Most participating schools will start offering this elective on technopreneurship this school year, although a few have reportedly begun offering it since last semester. In Davao City, the participating colleges / universities are: Ateneo de Davao University, Brokenshire College, Davao Doctors College, Holy Child Academy, Interface College, John Paul II College, Jose Maria College, University of the Immaculate Concepcion, University of Mindanao, and University of Southeastern Philippines.

This program is highly commendable, and is one more reason why our Davao Chamber is recognized nationwide as a model organization, and a catalyst for positive change. It should be noteworthy that the DCCCII is the only private organization that is considered a partner in development by the Australian government. What is even gratifying is that, the Davao Chamber will not sit on its laurels: the technopreneurship elective subject is just the tip of the iceberg. (One thing, though: I just hope they’ll soon decide to update their website more often….)

The long-term goal is to develop a full four-year degree course on entrepreneurship in the business of information technology. In order to achieve this worthy objective, the Davao Chamber and PAHRDF are conducting further training here and in Australia. For instance, there’s Mark Maglana, who is in Brisbane Canberra taking up a master’s program in Management, specializing in Technology, Innovation and Commercialization. This is under a scholarship grant from the PAHRDF. After he graduates, Maglana is contract-bound to return to Davao and impart the knowledge he will have gained. As well, he is of the same mind to close the gap between industry and academe. Other professionals-turned-students are — or will be — under training in Australia for similar reasons.

The ultimate purpose of developing this technopreneurship academic program is to develop entrepreneurial skills in today’s youth, in order to engender business-mindedness among technology-inclined graduates. It answers the question, ‘Why work for someone when you can build your own I.T. business?’

In line with this, a nationwide Business Plan Competition will be launched in Davao on 20 June 2007, during the next Techno Kapehan. Techno Kapehan #6 is set to be held at the Ateneo college campus, from 2:00 PM. This competition, which hopes to encourage students to produce bankable business ideas, is only this year being opened to Davao entrants. The Davao Chamber is the local coordinator. More details on this in forthcoming articles.

After PhilNITS came back to Davao several weeks ago, now we have another set of certifications. One participant in the launching remarked, "Another certification? Don’t we have enough of those already?"

I don’t think so. It is in fact good for Davao. Their coming in signifies that our city is now ready to be recognized as a serious player in the IT industry at large. Think about it. If we truly desire to be an IT hub — a battle cry we’ve been espousing for some years now — then we should realize that the first indicator of such a status is the presence of certified IT practitioners. Infrastructure, government support via sound legislation, availability of funding… these are subordinate to the requirement for skilled manpower.

I know this because I have been asked about it many times. When faced with potential investors and outsourcers, they ask me: "How many programmers, systems engineers, etc. do you have in Davao?" And by those titles, these people mean ‘certified’ programmers, systems engineers, etc.

(People wonder why India has cornered the global outsourcing market. Well, there are possibly a few reasons, but this one is definitely one of them: India has lots and lots of certified IT professionals.)

Why is certification vital? It’s not only that it gives credibility to the certified. For businessmen looking to outsource their automation needs, for instance, the significance lies in the trustworthiness of the provider. ‘Will this offshore developer be able to deliver quality output, and deliver on time?’ Having a certificate doesn’t only mean you possess a skill, it also conveys a trust, that you have an acceptable level of professionalism.

These certifications don’t come cheap, though. But from what was presented today, iThink, in its collaboration with edupro and Microsoft, will offer special packages for the Davao market. [Check out their website for more information on their Microsoft certifications.] Just like for any globally-recognized certification program, commitment is highly necessary. So, if you’re committed to becoming recognized as an honest-to-goodness IT professional, the cost of the training and certification, and the time and effort involved, should be hurdles you are prepared to overcome.

Jun Mercader, managing director of iThink; Rodney Jao, general manager of Lane Systems; Hon. Rene Lopez, ICT committee chair	Rowena of the City IT Center; Nelly Sia-Agabin, general manager of Digital Interface; Boy Bawal (no kidding!) of MS Phils.; Rodney
Leave it to Microsoft to hold bongga launching parties!	Mylene Castillo, partner manager for ISV & learning solutions, MS Phils.; Jaime Garchitorena, general manager of edupro inc.
Mylene & Jaime raffled off training vouchers for MS Office 2007	Allen Aguilar of MS Phils. – Cebu office
	Rodney Jao on the new Vista OS
Rodney is an MS MVP for .net	my friend and fellow blogger, Aldrin Redolme et moi

Not quite apart from my involvement in Davao’s IT industry, I have also been active in the local Japanese language education scene for some years now. I say ‘not quite apart’ because one of my self-appointed responsibilities within IT is to promote the technological skills of Davao to the Japanese market. But it’s been a lonely road for me. When asked by Jetro representatives recently about the number of Davao-based IT practitioners proficient in Japanese… well, I’m the only one.

But in fact, there are none. What Jetro wanted to know about were programmers, systems engineers, even web applications developers. I am in IT as a marketer, a facilitator.

Last night I was with my Japanese friends and fellow educators. We have been planning for sometime now to establish an association of Japanese language teachers here in Davao. My proposal now is to accomplish this with the purpose of training IT people in the language. It is not an easy language to study (especially if the student is not interested), but for those who make it, the rewards will be tremendous.

According to the Jetro representatives who came to Davao last week to promote the PhilNITS exams (more coverage on this in succeeding posts!), Japan has a huge shortage of IT engineers. That is the reason why they’re hiring from outside, not only from the Philippines, but also from Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. And these highly-skilled IT engineers are paid the same as their Japanese counterparts. That is, if they know Nihongo and especially if they’re passers of the IT engineers’ exams.

The good news is, much of the lingo in Japanese IT is based on where most of the software of the world come from, the United States. So whatever an IT student learns here will be pretty much applicable in Japan. But wait a minute, am I trying to promote the exodus of manpower?? Well, not really promote, but I’d rather see that these skilled workers who go abroad get decent jobs outside. On the flipside, those who do decide to stay here can be instrumental in the local outsourcing industry, which is steadily moving forward.

If we are able to reach a critical mass of Japanese-speaking (and -writing of course!) IT professionals here, it would be the answer to the IT industry’s dream: to penetrate the Japanese market. In fact, we wouldn’t have to do any penetrating: the market will come to us!

Take a look at where we were a decade ago — read the Philippine Internet History — and see how much we’ve accomplished. If we do get the attention of the Japanese IT industry, our accomplishments will have jumped even further than we’ve had in the last decade.

Formerly known as the JITSE Exams, they used to be offered here from 2002 to 2004, but they were not well-promoted, and nobody passed out of the almost 50 who took the exams. [More data available at PhilNITS.org.] Suffice it to say that it’s an awfully difficult certification. According to one of my esteemed colleagues, who was able to peruse a sampling of the review materials, the coverage of the exams is very academic. And according to a Japanese friend of mine (who is certified), only very few do make it due to the level of difficulty. PhilNITS President Maricor Akol, during the Kapehan, revealed that each year only around 10% of examinees pass the exams.

Rad Basa of Innovus Solutions, who is a passer and assists PhilNITS in conducting reviews, relates that the exams are heavy in algorithm, problem-solving, program design. Fundamentals, Dr. Watson, fundamentals!

The two exams that PhilNITS is carrying are: Software Development & Design Engineer Examination (SW), and Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination (FE). These exams are formulated in Japan and translated into English for our benefit.

The upside is, PhilNITS certified IT professionals are in very high demand by blue-chip technology companies in Japan. Employment is guaranteed those who achieve certification. But the downside is, the proverbial brain drain. Not entirely true…. But I shall reserve that for another post.

PhilNITS, being a standards organization, is bringing the exams back to Davao in order to increase the city’s chances of coming into the focus of big IT players. Not only as a source of skilled IT professionals, but also as an investment destination. Once we have a critical mass of PhilNITS exams takers (and passers!), we will definitely be in a better position to attract foreign IT investments. PhilNITS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization — they do not make money out of the exams (which cost P1,500 for FE and P3,000 for SW).

From now on, I will keep an eye on the developments of PhilNITS’ presence in Davao. As I’ve mentioned, the foundation is partnering with DTI-XI, and I shall report on that as well in the coming weeks.

Industry clustering is a proven strategy for economic growth. Its purpose is not only to identify a particular sector’s stregths, which will then become the developmental focus, but also to pinpoint potential and existing synergies between different sectors.

It was fortunate that the ICT Cluster was chosen as the model by which that group of graduate students would come to learn about the industry clustering program of the Davao Region. There are 8 clusters that have been identified by the DTI-XI and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA): banana, mango, coconut, seaweeds (notable because of the region’s carrageenan export), wood, mining, eco-tourism, and information & communications technology.

(N.B.: While to the rest of us it’s ‘IT’, the Philippine government has taken it upon itself to call it ‘ICT’.)

While a large percentage of educated young people today are computer literate, it is uncommon for new entrants into the "real world" to consider careers in IT. Much less, to view the technology business as a strong contributor to the economy. Hence it’s not surprising that the average Davaoeño isn’t aware that there’s actually a viable and growing IT industry here.

That’s why I thought it was fortunate that it was our industry cluster that was chosen. I hope that my presentation was able to raise the level of awareness in IT among those future businessmen. There were about a hundred of them, and if at least one of them becomes a successful part of the IT industry, then I will have been compensated a hundredfold for doing yet another speaking engagement.

Please click here to view the University of Mindanao website. I believe it’s been recently redesigned. And speaking of websites, why don’t you nominate your site in the DigitalFilipino.com Web Awards?