MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines is set to become the next headquarters for Telecentre.org, a five-year international social investment program that assists in the establishment of multimedia telecommunications centers in developing countries.
The current Telecentre.org office is located in Ontario, Canada and is managed by Canadian government’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
It is also sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and software firm Microsoft Corporation.
The Telecentre.org has partners that operate in over a dozen developing countries, including Brazil, Mali, Argentina, Chile, Egypt, Peru, India, Bangladesh, Spain, Ecuador, Panama, South Africa, Sudan, Rwanda, among others.
Telecenters are either government-run or private facilities that are similar to Internet cafes but are used to train small business owners on new trends in the industries they are in.
Telecenters also serve as communication and training hubs for residents. It houses computers that are connected to the Internet.
The Philippines is a beneficiary of Telecentre.org, through the Philippine Community E-Center (PhilCeCNet.ph) project hosted by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).
In a interview, CICT Director for Field Operations Maria Teresa Camba said the choice of the Philippines as the next headquarters for the Telecentre.org is due to the agency’s success in putting up telecenters or community e-centers (CEC), which currently numbers 800 facilities.
Philippines has also been chosen as headquarters due to the presence of English-speaking technical officers operating the CECs. These officers will provide manpower for the Telecentre.org operations.
Camba however said that the stakeholders of Telecentre.org have yet to finalize transfer process of operations from Ontario to Manila, as well as the roster of officials for the Philippine office.
Camba added that the IDRC will remain as the main investing organization of Telecentre.org, although the IDRC will also look for other sources of funds for its operations.
She said between $10 million to US$15 million were spent during the first five years of the Telecentre.org. About the same amount would be spent for the next five years, Camba added. –Alexander Villafania, INQUIRER.net
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