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PHL among least competitive countries in IT — survey


An international survey has ranked the Philippines among the countries with the lowest competitiveness in the field of information technology (IT). In the recently released IT Industry Competitiveness Index, which measures the extent by which countries are capable of supporting a strong IT production sector, the Philippines ranked 52nd out of 66 countries. The Philippines, together with Bangladesh, also received a zero grade in terms of creating an environment for Research and Development (R&D) in the IT industry. The United States, Finland, and Singapore topped the index. The IT Industry Competitiveness Index survey was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). No surprise Economist Cid Terosa from the University of Asia and the Pacific said it was “not surprising" for the Philippines to have low rankings in IT competitiveness. “There are no highly trained IT professionals here. We also have very low allocations for IT. Sa budget, palaging naiiwan ito because it is not an immediate priority," he said in a phone interview with GMA News Online Monday. He added that the administration of President Benigno Aquino III has yet to tap public-private partnerships (PPP) to improve the country’s IT infrastructure. “Sad to say, wala ito sa list of PPP project. Ang mga nandoon lang ay education projects and other infrastructure," Terosa said. Terosa said that the government should invest in IT to respond to the demands of the modern world. “We are in the age of information technology. IT should really be a priority, especially training IT professionals," he said. Increase funding Senator Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate science and technology committee, explained that there is a need to increase government funding to build the country's capacity to innovate for development. He pointed out that although the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends countries to spend at least one percent of their total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for R&D, the Philippine government had spent in 2009 a meager 0.12 percent of GDP for R&D. “We have a lot of catching up to do," he said. Angara said he will push for at least P322 million in dedicated funding for "innovation clusters" when Congress resumes plenary deliberations on the proposed 2012 national budget in November. He explained that clusters will bring together the academe, industry, and government into groups that will adapt and develop usable technologies to address the country's pressing challenges on food security, climate change, energy use, and sustainable exploitation of resources. "[The] P322 million is still far inadequate but it is a good start as it amounts to dedicated and pure R&D funding," Angara said. "The government can no longer afford to be a passive actor here. It must be the source of change. It should provide the impetus to industry and academe to come together in collaborative work. The government must demonstrate that it can lead the country's R&D efforts in a decisive, single-minded and purposeful way," he added. — MRT/KBK/HS, GMA News

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