House committees OK formation of ICT dep’t

THE COMMITTEES on information and communications technology and government reorganization of the House of Representatives have jointly approved a bill that seeks to form the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), a move business chambers have been pushing to further boost the industry.

Taguig Rep. Sigfredo R. Tinga, chairman of the House ICT committee, confirmed the approval of the bill in a phone interview yesterday.

Under the proposed law, DICT will assume the communications-related functions of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) and will absorb the Commission on Information and Communications Technology under the Office of the President. It will absorb three DoTC offices, namely: the National Computer Center, the Telecommunications Office and the Communications Planning Service division.

The DICT will be the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing and administrative entity of the government in the promotion and development of the country’s ICT sector.

Sought for comment, Business Processing Association of the Philippines Chief Executive Oscar R. Sañez said via text, “The country needs a Cabinet-level department to lead government efforts in driving our country to the digital age by way of setting policy and standards for the industry, streamlining government bureaucracy and e-government, leading the program for digital infrastructure for the country and partnering with the ICT industry to promote the development of IT and BPO (business process outsourcing) capability in the country,” he said. — NMG, Businessworld