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The get-together of DigitalFilipino.com Club members and Davao’s IT professionals last 14 May 2008 at Casa Leticia was an eye-opener for many first-timers. There were more than 30 Dabawenyos who attended, most of whom were, before then, uninitiated into this different sort of organization. Janette Toral, initiator and representative of the Club, was delighted to see so many attend the event.

The DigitalFilipino.com Club is a nationwide association of e-commerce practitioners and enthusiasts, IT professionals and companies. It is a business organization, in that its focus is on how to maximize Filipino talent in bringing success to members’ businesses. I have been a member for several years now, and I have directly benefited from my membership. Twice already I have closed business deals with other members, thanks to the networking activities that the Club constantly conducts.

Members get access to valuable research material, the Club’s extensive knowledge base, and the chance to network with entrepreneurs and corporate members.

The meet-up last 14 May was the third leg of Janette’s three-city roadshow. According to her, compared to the ones in Manila and Cebu, the Davao event had the best attendance and participation. In Davao, there are only a handful of members — but hopefully this will change in the coming weeks.

The format of the event was simple and straightforward: a presentation by Janette (which doubled as an update of sorts for Davao-based members), and then a report by yours truly on upcoming IT-related activities. Attendees were also given the chance to introduce themselves and their companies. For the more aggressive, it was an opportunity to let everyone know about their products and services.

Fred Nadela of Brokenshire College, Maria Jose of Apex Innovators, and Bert Barriga, representing one of the newest software development houses here, were some of those who enthusiastically apprised us of the latest developments in their respective companies. Lizabel Holganza of MTC Academy, and president of ICT Davao Inc., announced upcoming events that relate to the IT industry. Janette remarked that the Davao attendees were wonderfully participative.

After the presentations, everybody got the chance to catch up with colleagues and meet new ones. I’m pleased to report that I was able to observe quite a few business deals being initiated during the informal networking session.

We are already planning on a follow-up meeting for Davao members and candidates in August. Hopefully, more Dabawenyos will decide to join the DigitalFilipino.com Club. For information on this, please feel free to contact me, or visit www.e-commercephilippines.com for more information.

The last TechnoKapihan, which happened on April 2nd, was not a very successful event, in my opinion. Not a failure, mind you, but disappointing. For one, there were less than a dozen who attended; although, there was a hopeful sign: we had three or four first-timers. The old guard were there, but sans a couple of mainstays due to business trips.

However, it’s not only the number of participants that’s in consideration here. The Davao TechnoKapihan is ideally an industry-wide coming together for discussion, planning, catching up on the latest… all for the purpose of somehow getting the Davao IT industry moving forward. But the event has never gotten everybody together at all.

While there are those who have been trying to jumpstart the Kapihan from the very start, I’m afraid a large chunk of the members of industry are not participatory.

Why? Is it apathy? That could be part of the mix, but it’s not the whole recipe.

We’ve all heard the expression, “There’s no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.” The analogy is probably a stretch, but I’d like to lay it down just the same: the supposed powers that be in Davao’s IT industry do not seem to be representative of the population. In other words, if the generals are not able to rally their troops, that’s not the failure of the latter.

It frustrates me why the real industry players do not contribute as much as I think they should in building Davao IT as a whole. But at the same time, I do understand why. As both a member and an observer of this industry, I’ve been noticing a certain common sentiment percolating among my colleagues. From one of the Dabawenyo software developers — who is not active in any IT organization but is otherwise talented and business-savvy — I got this comment: ‘Our concerns are not being addressed by the existing organized entities who purport to be our leaders.’

That about sums it up, I think.

The root of the problem is something I’ve pointed out time and again: we don’t know where we are, what are strengths are, so we’re practically groping in the dark, hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone just has to realize that he’s got a lighter in his pocket.

On a more hopeful note, this year will see more IT events that will aim to bring in more investments to Davao. This I gathered from the TechnoKapihan last week. I look forward to seeing more of my colleagues getting involved here, as well as seeing IT organizations becoming more attuned to the real deal behind what they perceive to be the city’s IT industry.

The last TechnoKapihan, which happened on April 2nd, was not a very successful event, in my opinion. Not a failure, mind you, but disappointing. For one, there were less than a dozen who attended — although, there was a hopeful sign: we had three or four first-timers. The old guard were there, but sans a couple of mainstays due to business trips.

However, it’s not only the number of participants that’s in consideration here. The Davao TechnoKapihan is ideally an industry-wide coming together for discussion, planning, catching up on the latest… all for the purpose of somehow getting the Davao IT industry moving forward. But the event has never gotten everybody together at all.

While there are those who have been trying to jumpstart the Kapihan from the very start, I’m afraid a large chunk of the members of industry are not participatory.

Why? Is it apathy? That could be part of the mix, but it’s not the whole recipe.

We’ve all heard the expression, "There’s no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher." The analogy is probably a stretch, but I’d like to lay it down just the same: the supposed powers that be in Davao’s IT industry do not seem to be representative of the population. In other words, if the generals are not able to rally their troops, that’s not the failure of the latter.

It frustrates me why the real industry players do not contribute as much as I think they should in building Davao IT as a whole. But at the same time, I do understand why. As both a member and an observer of this industry, I’ve been noticing a certain common sentiment percolating among my colleagues. From one of the Dabawenyo software developers — who is not active in any IT organization but is otherwise talented and business-savvy — I got this comment: ‘Our concerns are not being addressed by the existing organized entities who purport to be our leaders.’

That about sums it up, I think.

The root of the problem is something I’ve previously pointed out: we don’t know where we are, what are strengths are, so we’re practically groping in the dark, hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone just has to realize that he’s got a lighter in his pocket.

On a more hopeful note, this year will see more IT events that will aim to bring in more investments to Davao. This I gathered from the TechnoKapihan last week. I look forward to seeing more of my colleagues getting involved here, as well as seeing IT organizations becoming more attuned to the real deal behind what they perceive to be the city’s IT industry.

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As Davao Chamber trustee Andre Fournier has pointed out, the Techno Kapehan has become a mainstay in Davao’s ICT arena. Initiated by the DCCCII, the Techno Kapehan is a once-a-month informal gathering of the city’s industry associations, businessmen, government officials and the media. This month’s session (23 May 2007) was hosted by NCCC Mall.

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With the elections over, it’s pretty much back to business as usual. Davao’s I.T. industry players are gearing up for this year’s major events. In particular, the Mindanao ICT Congress (I mistakenly termed it “MICT Summit” in previous articles) is starting to gain some ground.

Finally, the MICT Congress franchise owner and this year’s host organization have agreed on the broad strokes of the event’s planning and management. The Mindanao Business Council (MBC) and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry have set the date on 26 to 28 October 2007. And, the inclusion and participation of the Davao ICT Inc. has also been approved in principle.

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Before anything else, allow me to give you a brief backgrounder on the Davao I.T. industry’s present situation. This year, the umbrella organization of all I.T.-related associations, ICT Davao Inc., was established. It is heavily supported by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. (DCCCII), via funding from AusAID. ICT Davao’s predecessor, the ICT Council, was also organized under the auspices of the Davao Chamber.

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Last 18 April 2007 at the 4th Techno Kapehan, the ICT Davao Inc. held its first Induction of Officers. Led by its founding president, Bong Tee, and sworn into office by Councilor Pete Laviña, the new set of officers and directors are now faced with the challenge of steering Davao’s I.T. industry into the future. ICT Davao is the umbrella organization of all industry associations that exist within the local I.T. industry arena. At present the number of organizational members stands at eleven.

The event was auspiciously marked by the strong sentiment among the ICT Davao constituency regarding the organization’s role in industry. Perhaps due to the dismal performance of previous so-called umbrella organizations, this brand-new group appears to be dead set on claiming the pole position in the race to bring Davao to its long-sought-after “ICT Hub” status. As well it should. No other entity now has the mandate.

Also during Techno Kapehan, which was hosted by Damosa Land, the Damosa I.T. Park project was discussed. It was a good opportunity for them to clear up some uncertainties that have surrounded the project. Ricky Floirendo, VP of Damosa Land, and Ed Villaver, project director of the I.T. Park, gave an overview of the development. It was also fortunate that the operations manager of Link2Support — the I.T. Park’s first locator — was in attendance, and was able to confirm Damosa Land’s statements regarding the present status of the I.T. Park.

Villaver explained that they were overwhelmed by the entry of Link2Support and its subsequent expansion soon after. Apparently, the I.T. Park is planned to be built in phases, and the building now completely occupied by the call center was phase 1. In other words, according to Villaver, their plans were suddenly moved up, especially that the call center is now bursting at the seams. Villaver says that the next building (which will also be used by Link2Support) is estimated to be finished in 6 months. This doesn’t seem to sound very viable… hopefully Damosa Land will be able to step it up.

During the open forum, it did sound to this writer that the I.T. Park developers do realize the enormity of this undertaking, and that much more has to be accomplished in order to make this PEZA-accredited investment zone even more attractive to locators. Now if only Damosa Land will field more personable, more courteous frontline personnel….

Present as well during the Kapehan was National Telecommunications Commission director, Mr. Josue Go. Tesda and mainstay DTI were also represented. It is indeed a hopefuly sign that more government agencies are beginning to “come online.”

The next Techno Kapehan will be held on 23 May 2007 at the NCCC Mall, and will be sponsored by IBM Philippines.

Now, if only the upcoming electoral exercise could be just as actively participated in by voters, I believe our country will have far to go. Why don’t we sign-up for VforCE: 1 million Volunteers for Clean Elections and do our share?

Aside from the two well-publicized contact centers in Davao — Gcom and Link2Support — there apparently are a few more now operating in the city. A friend recently brought to my attention one of these low-key BPO operators; he works there and he said there were only 10 of them in active duty. I was surprised that there was another call center that seems to have passed under the radar, and that my friend turned out to be skilled in this area of expertise. Which re-emphasized to me a weakness in Davao’s I.T. industry: we have no definitive skills survey available until now.

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Yesterday, after a curiously lengthy hiatus, the ICT Davao Inc. organization was formally established with the election of its first set of officers. Bong Tee, representing the Association of Computer Businesses in Mindanao (ACBM), was naturally elected president. The formation of this umbrella organization is his re-entry project after his educational stint in Australia c/o the PAHRDF. He carried it through, and now it’s a reality.

It was a hopeful sign that all 10 IT industry associations who were invited made an appearance. Hopefully, with the new officers in place, and with more interested members coming out of the woodworks, Davao’s IT will finally have a representative body that can speak for the entire industry. It’s been tried once before, but it ultimately did not succeed due to various factors.

One of which was the lack of focus. This time, it must be plain enough to see that there has to be not only direction, but also a focusing on which part of the IT industry should be given priority attention. This is critical: only then will we know our full potential for growth.

The ICT Davao, however, should not forget that it exists to serve its constituents. To spearhead industry-wide initiatives, yes, but not to lead each member-organization. This new umbrella organization’s position is still tenuous at present, but with the support of the Davao City Chamber, and with the mandate that it now has, then perhaps this can change rapidly.

Bong Tee has always been a charismatic leader in his own milieu. And he seems now quite prepared to take on the bigger role of representing the entire IT industry of Davao. Already projects are being lined up, notably the Mindanao ICT Summit, which is tentatively set for November of this year. In the interim, Bong has his work cut out for him. And so does the entire organization.

Kudos to all those who’ve striven hard for the realization of this goal!

After years of being the only medical transcription company in Davao, SSP Transcriptions is now joined by a handful of other MT outfits operating in the city. In another type of business, this might be viewed as the entry of competition; but not for the MT sector. The more, the merrier!

SSP is a member of the Association of Solution Integrators in Davao (ASID). This association, however, is focused mainly on software development, so I remember many times when SSP seemed out of place during meetings and events, despite the fact that this member was one of the most active.

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