On February 16, the ICT Committee gathered at the office of OSM in Manila. Following a company presentation and an office tour around OSM’s facilities, the committee proceeded with a discussion on the general policy direction and initiatives of the PEZA and DICT gathered during the courtesy visits to the respective agencies’ top brass.
For PEZA, Director General Charito Plaza assured that the agency will remain true to its mandate as it seeks to establish 3 to 4 ecozones per province and cities. PEZA is currently conducting an audit of all ecozones around the country to create an “Ecozone Map” to help identify prospective location. Meanwhile, DICT Secretary Salalima noted that the agency will pursue its role as the implementing agency for the national ICT development despite being in the early stage of organization. The agency is currently assessing the country’s frequency allocation.
To wrap up the meeting, there was an exchange on procurement policies of corporate mobile phone lines and the use of personal thumb devices on company desktop computers. In the next meeting, the committee is slated to elect a new chairman and invite a speaker to discuss labor best practices in the local ICT industry.
