The Philippine Cyberservices Pioneers Awards will be given in June when the country celebrates Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Month. The awards is just one of the several activities lined up by the CICT for the month'believing it may create a louder voice than if it were to have separate activities throughout the year.
CICT commissioner and chairman of ICT Month Damian 'Dondi' Mapa told Computerworld Philippines that they are coordinating with organizations all over the country to schedule ICT conventions and congresses.
With the theme 'ICT for All,' the commission hopes to create awareness about ICT in the minds of all Filipinos. 'For rich and poor; for young and old; for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, ICT can bring benefits and opportunities in every aspect of our lives,' said Mapa.
Mapa said that aside from Manila, there will be ICT-related activities in Baguio, Iloilo, and Tacloban. Meanwhile, special ICT sessions are being planned for Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, and Cebu.
Toward the end of ICT Month, the commission will be giving special awards to companies who have been exporting cyberservices since the early 70s and 80s.
'We want to build awareness that this industry is not a 'flash-in-the-pan.' That it is simply not the trendy business to set up, but one that has been around for a long time'and will be around for a very long time to come,' said Mapa. CICT is looking for companies either foreign or local, still in operation today, who have been offering cyberservices from as far back as the 80s and even the 70s.
According to Mapa, although the most visible companies today are foreign locators present in the country, they are actually outnumbered by the local companies. 'In time, many of these local companies either merge or are acquired by foreign companies, thus the impetus for awarding those pioneers who may no longer exist in their original form but may have become part of a larger company.'
Mapa explained that nominees can be a subsidiary or spin-off of a company that was operating back in the 80s. 'In special cases, we can award individuals who are still offering their services, like animation, but whose original companies are no longer operating in the country,' said Mapa.
In gathering nominees from all sectors in the ICT industry, CICT has partnered with Computerworld Philippines to assist them in the search. Computerworld Philippines has already sent letters to the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), Medical Transcription Association of the Philippines Inc. (MTIAPI), Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), and the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. inviting them to submit a list of nominees.
Nominated companies will be required to present contracts as proof of their pioneering efforts.
The awarding ceremony is scheduled to be held on June 26. The CICT is hoping to invite President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to present the awards.