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Arroyo years saw dramatic surge of RP ICT sector
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Many milestones in the country’s information, communication and technology (ICT) sector have been achieved
under the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, according to the national commission that pursues ICT
buildup in the country.
Ray Anthony Chua, Chairman of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) who
holds the rank of cabinet secretary, said today at a news briefing in Malacanang that the Arroyo years were
undoubtedly a period of unprecedented developments in ICT.”
Among the milestones achieved under the President’s watch according to Chua, was the historic automated
national elections last May which has been long planned as a priority project of the outgoing Chief Executive.
The country’s first automated polls, Chua said, modernized the country’s electoral process and ensured
credibility in the results.
“In general it was a very successful automated election where results were delivered with speed and results
made available on the day of the exercise. This brought credibility to a process much-maligned in the past,” he
said.
Another achievement, according to Chua, was the dramatic surge of the business process outsourcing (BPO)
sector which has been a major contributor to economic development as the industry chipped in more than US
$7 billion in export revenues last year.
Chua said that from 2,000 employees in the year 2000, Philippine BPO employment grew tremendously to
about 500,000 at present.
He pointed out that the country has already made a name for itself as one of the leaders in ICT after the
national outsourcing association in the United Kingdom named the Philippines as the “off-shoring destination
of the year” for the second time last year.
“Now we are seen as the number 2 player in the world next to India which is something for a country of our size
and our level of development,” Chua said.
In terms of technology use in education, Chua said that one of the most important initiatives of the President is
to computerize all 6,000 public highs schools in the country. He said that the government to date has already
placed computer laboratories in 5,000 schools with about 4,000 equipped with internet connectivity.
Chua said that the country today has 70 million mobile subscribers compared to 6 million users in 2000.
“Practically every Filipino has a mobile phone” Chua said.
He also highlighted that 24 million people in the country already have access to internet, buttressing CICT’s
mandate to provide the technology for every Filipino.
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PGMA will be Cebu's daughter 'forever'
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CEBU CITY—Cebu leaders and officials today paid tribute to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, with Gov.
Gwendolyn Garcia leading the collective articulation that the outgoing national leader will remain a “daughter of
Cebu.”
Garcia, who was reelected governor in last month’s polls, said the Chief Executive has done so much for
Cebu, specifically the infrastructure projects that have made life better for Cebuanos.
“The President will forever be a “daughter of Cebu,” said Garcia during her inaugural ceremony at the Cebu
International Convention Center which President Arroyo attended right after opening a sea port project in
nearby Talisay City.
The lady governor said that the President’s visit to Cebu two days before leaving Malacanang, showed “a
sense of symmetry as the President was going back to where she began and leaving it a better place.”
She referred to the tradition-breaking decision in 2004 of then President-elect Arroyo to chose Cebu instead of
Manila as venue of her presidential oath-taking. In the elections that year, the President won by about a million
votes over her rival in the province.
“By that singular act, Cebu’s central role in shaping not only this nation’s history, but more importantly its future,
was given recognition more eloquently than it ever had been, in half a millennium of this country’s history,”
Garcia said.
“One Cebu was thus born, a battle cry that became a party that became the guiding principle of new politics
and enlightened governance, “ she added.
Garcia said Cebu was elated that two days before she bows out of office, the President revisits Cebu, “ and we
recognize her efforts that have made Cebu the premier province in the country.”
Garcia and supporters spiced the inaugural event with a three-minute audio-visual presentation of Arroyo
administration projects in the province as well as Cebu City proper.
“We are a grateful people. Six years ago you honored us greatly by taking your oath here. But more importantly
beyond that powerful symbol, you have, for the past six years contributed generously in ways visible and
concrete to Cebu’s dream of progress and prosperity, Garcia said.
The President was in Talisay City earlier in the day to inaugurate the Macapagal-Gullas Port in Barangay
Tanke, a fishport complete with ice plant, cold storage facilities and a rock causeway.
Speaking in Cebuano, the President bade farewell to all in the region and thanked the people of Talisay and
the Cebuanos as a whole for their unwavering support to her since she was still a senator.
Before leaving the province, the President administered the office oaths to Gov.Garcia and Cebu's winning
congressmen namely; Rep. Eduardo Gullas, 2nd District Rep. Pablo Garcia, 3rd District Rep. Pablo John
Garcia, 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon and 6th District Rep. Luigi Quisumbing.
The President also administered the oath to Lapu-Lapu City's Rep. Arturo Radaza, City Mayor Paz Radaza and
the councilors.
The President's last event before flying for Manila was in Danao City where she inaugurated the P24.1 million
President Diosdado Macapagal Park and Boardwalk situated on a reclaimed area beside the Macapagal-
Durano Fish Port.
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