•Removed barriers and allow full competition in the provision of high-speed networks and connectivity. This resulted in the reduction of cost of local internet connections from PhP30 per hour in 2000 to PhP15 per hour in 2008.
•Allocated radio frequencies to allow broadband wireless access network.
•Liberalized the telecommunications environment/ industry to allow the entry of more players, ie, the telecommunication operators (TelCos). This enabled the mobile telephone industry to experience robust growth. About 62% of the total populace (or about 56 million out of the 88 million Filipinos) are now mobile telephone subscribers who are connected to 14,506 cell sites, nationwide, as of end of 2008. To date, there are 11 international gateway facility (IGF) operators who can provide international long distance calls; six (6) cellular mobile telephone system operators; 11 public trunk radio operators; 14 inter-exchange carrier licenses that service other carriers’ traffic using their own networks; and, 74 local exchange operators or those with fixed line services.
•Authorized the retail-pricing for local telephone lines by allowing local exchange carriers to design price packages.
•Allocated radio frequencies to allow broadband wireless access network.
•Liberalized the telecommunications environment/ industry to allow the entry of more players, ie, the telecommunication operators (TelCos). This enabled the mobile telephone industry to experience robust growth. About 62% of the total populace (or about 56 million out of the 88 million Filipinos) are now mobile telephone subscribers who are connected to 14,506 cell sites, nationwide, as of end of 2008. To date, there are 11 international gateway facility (IGF) operators who can provide international long distance calls; six (6) cellular mobile telephone system operators; 11 public trunk radio operators; 14 inter-exchange carrier licenses that service other carriers’ traffic using their own networks; and, 74 local exchange operators or those with fixed line services.
•Authorized the retail-pricing for local telephone lines by allowing local exchange carriers to design price packages.
COMMENT: The policies mentioned above greatly helped to speed-up the development of ICT in the Philippines. They allowed competition among different providers which lead to the reduction of services prices and the continuing development in their services. The liberalization of the telecommunication environment not only helped the IT industry in terms of the positive effects of business rivalries but also gave way to the founding of new companies that ventured in this field of business thus giving more spurces of advancement/ideas to imrpove the quality of ICT in the Philippines. Furthermore, it also benefits the jobless; giving them more chances to find one.
2. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
•To lessen the impact of climate change, the President issued Executive Order 320 s. 2004, creating a National Authority for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and designating DENR as the national authority for CDM. To date, the Philippines has 20 projects registered with the United Nations CDM Executive Board in Bonn, Germany. These projects consists of renewable energy projects (wind power, hydropower, geothermal energy) and energy efficiency projects like, methane recovery for electricity generation, wastes to power generation (hog wastes, rice husks). The projects are expected to cut the emission of about 731,611 tons of carbon dioxide per year. At present, the Philippines is one of the top eight countries that have the most number of CDM projects for greenhouse gas emission reduction.
•In view of alarming developments and forecasts on global warming and climate change, especially for the Philippines which has been identified as among the most vulnerable to its effects, the President created the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change (PTFCC) thru AO 171, s. 2007, “to act with resolve and urgency in addressing the issue of climate change, mitigate its impact and adapt to its effects”.
•To rationalize and synthesize all government programs into one focused campaign that would effectively address climate change, EO 774 s. 2008 was issued, reorganizing the PTFCC with the President as Chair, and mandating the creation of 14 task groups, tasked to work from all fronts to ensure the “CPR” – conservation, protection and restoration -- of Philippine natural resources.
COMMENT: We may not find this project as something related to ICT but if we look on it closely. The IT industry is also a grate source of environmental pollution. Through this action, the government took a step in lessening the negative backfires of technology thus allowing the IT industry to further develop and boost to improve to offer us more positive effects in our society.
3. Cyber Corridor
The Cyber Corridor, which aims to create an information and technology-based knowledge economy through facilities that enhance interconnectivity and research and development initiatives, traverses all four geographic super regions from Baguio to Cebu to Davao.
•The Cyber Corridor is being developed through public and private investments in the areas of ICT, education, and training.
The pilot-testing of a major ICT project, the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) Revenue Watch Dashboard prototype system, was completed in May 2009. This web-enabled revenue monitoring tool aims to provide real time collection figures from the national level down to the Revenue District Office level.
•Aside from the priority infrastructure projects in the Cyber Corridor, the Government also pursued other Information and Communication Technology-related projects that supported the development theme of the Cyber Corridor. The Government has established public calling stations, telecenters and community e-centers to address the uneven distribution of fixed telephone lines in the regions.
•By 2008, the Administration has installed facilities to areas without communication channels yet, such as 875 telegraph stations for telegraphic transfer and social telegram; digital telephone exchanges in 103 localities; 538 public calling stations which serves people who cannot afford to subscribe telephone services and areas not covered by fixed line facilities; 1,422 Telepono sa Barangay (TSB) stations; and a Regional Government Telephone Service in Cauayan, Isabela.
•The Cyber Corridor is being developed through public and private investments in the areas of ICT, education, and training.
The pilot-testing of a major ICT project, the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) Revenue Watch Dashboard prototype system, was completed in May 2009. This web-enabled revenue monitoring tool aims to provide real time collection figures from the national level down to the Revenue District Office level.
•Aside from the priority infrastructure projects in the Cyber Corridor, the Government also pursued other Information and Communication Technology-related projects that supported the development theme of the Cyber Corridor. The Government has established public calling stations, telecenters and community e-centers to address the uneven distribution of fixed telephone lines in the regions.
•By 2008, the Administration has installed facilities to areas without communication channels yet, such as 875 telegraph stations for telegraphic transfer and social telegram; digital telephone exchanges in 103 localities; 538 public calling stations which serves people who cannot afford to subscribe telephone services and areas not covered by fixed line facilities; 1,422 Telepono sa Barangay (TSB) stations; and a Regional Government Telephone Service in Cauayan, Isabela.
COMMENT: This project is a sort of implementation of the current trends in communication technologies. This will benefit the ICT industry because this project will give us a greater view on the positive effects of advance communication technologies implemented to the different services that the government offers. Through the benefits that will be visible sooner or later, the development of ICT in the Philippines will be pushed through with more vigilance.
