Contribution from the Philippines on WSIS Follow-Up

CONTRIBUTION FROM THE PHILIPPINES

delivered by UNDERSECRETARY FORTUNATO DE LA PEŇA Department of Science and Technology Philippines

At the UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT 7-10 January 2013

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, a Very Warm Greetings from the Philippines!

It is with great pleasure that I share with you how the Philippines is undertaking activites to achieve the goals and objectives of the World summit on Information Society (WSIS). I am very privileged to share with you what the Philippines has done to improve the life of the 97 Million Filipinos by embracing the power of science and information and communications technology (ICT).

Consistent with the WSIS objectives, the Philippines is now implementing activities based on our Philippine Digital Strategy, which is firmly grounded on the principle of universal access and universal service to ICT. This seeks to ensure that all our citizens have access to ICTs and can utilize them for livelihood opportunities, education and other socio-economic benefits.

We are continuing to install ICT and broadband facilities in schools as part of our effort to link elementary schools and high school together via a system that will enable them to access the internet and allow the government with the support of the private sector to deploy learning resources to each one of them. Access to the internet and its available resources opens new opportunities for learning for both the students and teachers.

As part of our effort to promote e-government and e-governance, we are now embarking on an “integrated online government initiative”, called iGovPhil. Considering anticipated benefits of improved government services and better accessibility of public services, in addition to more transparency and accountability, we started last year the iGovPhil program to integrate all common applications of the Philippine government to allow the ordinary citizens to avail of Page 1 of 3 public services seamlessly at a very affordable rate if not for free. Through this project, Filipinos will get connected, be well-informed and advised on urgent/emergency issues.

On a more advanced adoption of ICT, many organizations have embraced eCommerce and mobile computing to promote their products and services. With the decreasing cost of smart phones, availability of local brand and its increasing functionality, mobile users in the Philippines which is now estimated to surpass the 100% penetration mark are now migrating to smartphones. On-line shopping and on-line payment have increased due to some portals that sell products and services on a reduced rate. Travel and Tourism in the Philippines has benefited from ICT specifically in promoting the country’s rich resources and nice-to see spots.

We are cognizant that expanding the internet to rural villages leads to new opportunities for non-agricultural employment, better-paying agricultural jobs and greater overall productivity. Throughout the Philippines, Community eCenters (CeCs) which is more than 2,000 have been continuously being developed where citizens including women, children and the marginalized sector gets to the mainstream and enjoy the many benefits that ICT can offer. Through this CECs, digital divide has been minimized. It would be interesting to note that this program has been successful because of the intense support from local government units, telecommunication operators and community leaders/volunteers. The CeCs together with around 7,000 Internet Cafes in the Philippines make up the community-based shared facility to access the internet..

In line with our desire to be ready at all times and mitigate the effects of climate change and disasters, the Philippine Government through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has introduced a program called NOAH, wherein ICT tools and gadgets have been installed in high-risk areas to accurately forecast disasters and provide early warnings to the public. This system has provided alert messages/ warnings related to floods, rains and earthquakes. Certainly, this project has prevented loss of lives and properties caused by calamities that the Phillippines has experienced recently.

of 3 To promote data privacy and security on the use of the Internet, the Philippines passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and Data Privacy Act of 2012. These measures are expected to protect ICT and Internet users by providing for penalties against unauthorized access, among others, and promoting accountability and effective processes to effect data privacy.

Our activities have been developed and implemented on a multi-stakeholder approach and in many cases with the support of international organizations such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). We have hosted and currently chairing the ASEAN Telecommunications and IT Ministers Meetings and Meetings with Dialogue and Development Partners. We are also currently chairing the Committee on ICT of the Economic and Social Commission for the Asia-Pacific (ESCAP).

Thank you for your attention…. Maraming Salamat po

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