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By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:42:00 06/04/2008
MAKATI City, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared
June as information and communications technology month.
"If you go back several years ago, you’d see that it has been a tradition
that June is celebrated as ICT month. But during the past two years, a
presidential proclamation was needed to do this. It was only this year that
the Palace has finally passed a proclamation declaring June as ICT month,"
said Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT)
commissioner Monchito Ibrahim, in an interview.
Arroyo signed proclamation number 1521on May 28, 2008.
Ibrahim said that regional ICT councils have scheduled various events
this month in line with ICT month. Cebu is holding the Philippine Open
Source Summit this month, while the Iloilo Foundation for ICT is also
set to hold its own ICT week starting June 24.
"We are encouraging ICT organizations to come up with initiatives to
highlight ICT in schools and government agencies. At this time, regional
ICT councils are organizing their events. Next year, we plan to have a
better and more organized series of events for the whole country with
more people involved from the regions," he said.
The CICT is leading the celebration of ICT month.
CICT Chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III added in a statement:
"With this declaration, alongside the provision that places National
ICT Month under the auspices of the CICT, we would like to enjoin all
government agencies and industry partners to support ICT month every
June, as it has done so in the past, with activities that will help
promote and further strengthen the competitiveness of the Philippine ICT industry."
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