I agree with one of my favorite tech news sources (TechCrunch.com) that the next technology war will be fought in the realm of mobile platforms. In the dawn of OS-agnostic and Web-deployed applications, the old operating-systems war seems to be finally fizzling out. (A rather anticlimactic denouement, if you ask me.)

Microsoft and Apple have both had their mobile platforms out in the market for the longest time now: Windows Mobile (which had its earlier manifestation as Windows CE) and Apple’s "i" series (iPod, iPhone). But it’s only now that the market has grown to a considerable — and lucrative — scale. This time, there are other aggressive players out in the battlefield: BlackBerry and Google’s Android (which has yet to make a clear showing), among others. Let’s not forget Symbian, by the way.

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Following the success of the Damosa IT Park of Damosa Land, a number of other real estate development projects are now expected to see the light of day in Davao City.

Ed Villaver, Vice-President and General Manager of Damosa Land, confirmed recently that the Anflocor Group is entering into a joint venture with Ayala Land Inc. for the establishment of a 10-hectare business complex in Bajada. The property is located on JP Laurel Ave., near Victoria Plaza and Bo. Obrero. Villaver estimates that groundbreaking will commence middle of this year. •••Read on»

Up until this year, brownouts were rare in Davao City. Well, when I was in high school it was rather common, even expected, especially during summer. But for years, Davao has enjoyed practically zero brownouts since then.

The Davao Light & Power Co. is even an awardee for being one of the best power companies in the Philippines.

But now, in the past couple of weeks there have been 4 or 5 power outages that I’ve noticed. Just before I started writing this article there was no power in the Matina area. Electricity went dead around 2o’clock in the afternoon, and came back on almost half an hour later. What is the reason behind this? Is Davao Light upgrading their systems? Or am I being overly optimistic?

Or is it that Davao — possibly Mindanao — is experiencing a serious shortage of power supply? •••Read on»

Soon after the opening of the PhilNITS branch in Davao City, there has been positive movement within the Japanese I.T. community in the Philippines. Where before they have only paid lip service to initiatives in promoting Davao I.T. to the Japanese market, now these entities (private and government) are in fact looking towards the South as a viable investment and outsourcing destination. But more so, as a source of I.T. manpower.

PhilNITS is engaged in the development of high-tech skills. Japan is in dire need of highly-skilled skilled personnel. Hence the bullish outlook of Davao City as an I.T. center by Japanese companies and government agenices. But we must not be overly optimistic.

This renewed industrial interest in Davao City (dormant ever since the heyday of abaca plantations) is not necessarily driven by the presence of a robust I.T. industry here. It is fueled rather by Japan’s own requirements. According to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), their country is in need of 150,000 I.T. engineers annually. The inability to address this has finally allowed Asian countries with strong I.T. industries to receive offshore projects from Japan, especially China, India and Vietnam. It was published in a report that the Philippines receives less than half of what Vietnam gets in terms of outsourced projects for software development and animation. •••Read on»

The 18th of September 2007 was an auspicious day for Davao I.T. That day saw the inauguration of the Davao branch of the Philippine National I.T. Standards (PhilNITS) Foundation. Formerly known as JITSE-Phils., PhilNITS has for 5 years been involved in uplifting the quality of I.T. professionals in the country, via a certification program that is recognized all over Asia and the world. PhilNITS currently carries two certification examinations: the Fundamental I.T. Exam (”FE”) and the Software Design & Development Exam (”SW”).

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? •••Read on»

Last 7 June 2007 I was invited by the Rotary Club of Davao to be their guest of honor and speaker. Rotary Davao, otherwise known as “the mother club”, is comprised of Davao’s captains of industry. The membership roster boasts an impressive list of the city’s leading businessmen and professionals. Needless to say, it was rather daunting to stand in front of them and deliver a speech, although that was actually my second time to be invited by the mother club.

What immediately drove out the butterflies was the Rotarians’ apparent interest in my subject matter. I had thought it would be difficult for me to inspire enthusiasm among a group of “traditional” industrialists. But I was mistaken. After all, they did invite me specifically to talk about Davao’s information technology industry. The interaction after my presentation was lively, and it was clear that the advances our I.T. industry has made have reached the ears of Davao’s industry leaders. •••Read on»

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’s been written about in the news (and in some blogs) already that SM City Davao is planning to invest in an I.T. park project. In fact, the Davao City Sangguniang Panlungsod, through the authorship of Councilor Peter Laviña, has drafted a resolution to support this endeavor. The city dads wish to endorse the SM Davao I.T. park project to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and other concerned government agencies.

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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has apparently directed Damosa Land to ‘keep lease rates down’ in order to attract more locators. Damosa I.T. Park director Ed Villaver revealed this interesting fact during this month’s Techno Kapehan. He said this was to be his company’s counterpart to the incentives PEZA will provide investors. It’s rather strange that, instead of ensuring that Damosa Land commit to export zone standards, PEZA chooses to dish out such platitudes.

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A group of Japanese investors was in town for a look-see over the weekend. They were 3 top executives of an I.T. firm based in Tokyo, and a Manila-based Japanese investor. They were accompanied by a Filipino investment agent who contacted the Department of Trade & Industry - XI for arrangements in Davao.

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