All Bases Covered

In the Philippines, there are currently 5 cyberparks that are built. These are the same as the cyberparks constructed in neighboring countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Hongkong to become the future hubs for electronic commerce and technology.

These cyberparks, being pursuant to the government’s goal, of promoting a technology-friendly Philippines, enjoy various tax reliefs. These serve as incentives for businesses to set up more of such type in the country to be enable new technologies and devices to flourish and permeate the core of society.

Such is a good move in the government. However, as stated in Parlade’s paper, The Philippine IT Plan: Prospects and Problems, there must be steps undertaken by the government to strengthen and promote IT industries, as well as those industries that do not wholly involve themselves with IT, but still uses IT in their undertakings. For the former, it had been shown as in the cyberparks example, that the government has already recognized and made a move to help such. But how about those industries that use technology, though not necessarily putting its focus on it? Shouldn’t they also get a certain amount of incentive from the government, albeit not in the same capacity as those industries that fully involve themselves with IT?

In this matter, Parlade says, Congress must fully appreciate its role as a check-point, rather than a choke-point, in the policy-making process to ensure the country’s continuing success, not only in the IT-sector, but in other fields through the use of information technologies. Steps have been undertaken towards the promotion of the IT sector. Something also must be done for those who use IT technologies. E-Commerce and IT businesses could provide livelihood to a lot of Filipinos. Congress must ensure that all bases are covered, so to speak, to achieve this end.