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.

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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. •••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»

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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Before anything else, allow me to give you a brief backgrounder on the Davao I.T. industry’s present situation. This year, the umbrella organization of all I.T.-related associations, ICT Davao Inc., was established. It is heavily supported by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. (DCCCII), via funding from AusAID. ICT Davao’s predecessor, the ICT Council, was also organized under the auspices of the Davao Chamber.

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Last 18 April 2007 at the 4th Techno Kapehan, the ICT Davao Inc. held its first Induction of Officers. Led by its founding president, Bong Tee, and sworn into office by Councilor Pete Laviña, the new set of officers and directors are now faced with the challenge of steering Davao’s I.T. industry into the future. ICT Davao is the umbrella organization of all industry associations that exist within the local I.T. industry arena. At present the number of organizational members stands at eleven.

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Aside from the two well-publicized contact centers in Davao — Gcom and Link2Support — there apparently are a few more now operating in the city. A friend recently brought to my attention one of these low-key BPO operators; he works there and he said there were only 10 of them in active duty. I was surprised that there was another call center that seems to have passed below the radar, and that my friend turned out to be skilled in this area of expertise. Which re-emphasized to me a weakness in Davao’s I.T. industry: we have no definitive skills survey available until now.

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Yesterday, after a curiously lengthy hiatus, the ICT Davao Inc. organization was formally established with the election of its first set of officers. Bong Tee, representing the Association of Computer Businesses in Mindanao (ACBM), was naturally elected president. The formation of this umbrella organization is his re-entry project after his educational stint in Australia c/o the PAHRDF. He carried it through, and now it’s a reality.

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Yesterday was the 2nd Techno Kapehan session (I wasn’t there for the first, but I’m sure to be there for the succeeding ones), sponsored by the Department of Trade & Industry - Region XI. Patterned after the media’s long-standing tradition of powwows, at the IT industry’s, the "bigwigs" — as host Arriel Nengasca termed it — get together to discuss the current events, issues and plans. Media people were there, as well. If I’m not mistaken, from Sunshine TV.

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After years of being the only medical transcription company in Davao, SSP Transcriptions is now joined by a handful of other MT outfits operating in the city. In another type of business, this might be viewed as the entry of competition; but not for the MT sector. The more, the merrier!

SSP is a member of the Association of Solution Integrators in Davao (ASID). This association, however, is focused mainly on software development, so I remember many times when SSP seemed out of place during meetings and events, despite the fact that this member was one of the most active.

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