Use ICT for disaster management— solon

CLARK FREEPORT— In times of calamity and disaster, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be used to deliver basic services such as decision support systems for the agricultural and rural sectors, improving health care delivery to the poor and far-flung areas through the use of ICTs for disaster management.
This was acknowledged by Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora province during the ceremonial launching of the 2nd National ICT of the Philippines (2nd NICP) Summit held at the Fort Stotsenburg Hotel in this Freeport recently.
“Congressional Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering (or COMSTE) recognizes the significance of ICTs in delivering basic services… which also recognized the need to implement these projects through public-private partnerships, where government need not spread thinly (and therefore ineffectively) its already limited resources, and it can also tap into the varied and thriving expertise of its private sector, and therefore engage all sectors of society in nation-building,” Angara said.
There are at least 4,000 delegates expected to join the 2nd NCIP Summit and Convergence 2009 on Nov. 5-7 at the Fontana Convention Center. The 2nd NCIP Summit 2009 and Convergence 2009 is a back to back event which is being organized by the National ICT Conference of the Philippines (NICP) and spearheaded by Clark Development Corporation, Metro Clark ICT Council (MCICTC), and Cyber City Teleservices, Inc.
“I am particularly glad that the 2nd National ICT Summit has asked me to speak on global ICT opportunities, and supportive government policies on ICT. This is exactly how we work in Congress and in COMSTE: Finding ways to leverage global experiences, technologies and opportunities with our own assets, and at the same time provide for an environment in government where both the private and public sectors of society can be competitive,” Angara said.
Angara also said that when Congress created the Commission in 2007, “we had immediately identified the IT and IT-Enabled industries as one of the major players in the Philippines’ struggle for global competitiveness, identifying the IT sector as an important ‘enabler’ in many other sectors in society, especially in science and technology.”
MCICTC Chair George Sorio said the event will also include track sessions featuring various CICT initiatives and talks from key players in the Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology (BPO-IT) industry and in recognition of the important role of the ICT in advancing today’s growing business activities here and abroad.