I once had a conversation with a high school friend who graduated from Univserity of San Carlos, Cebu. He told me a lot of research and development in the field of information and technology in the Philippines. At one point, he mentioned that there's this big time project being made by a laboratory to create a chip which would be able to run a computer. Imagine - no motherboard, videocard, soundcard, lan card, etc. - just a chip the size of a ten peso coin!
With all these technological advancements being made in our own backyard, why is it that the Philippines is not positioning itself as an IT hub in Southeast Asia?
Look, I believe we are not short of people who are passionate with technology. The mere fact that we repeatedly find ourselves in the top-ten list of technology-crazed citizens is a proof. We are a nation that can easily adapt to technological changes. If that's the case, why are we mere users? Why can't we produce them ourselves?
We Filipinos consume a lot. We produce little. Why is that? Simple - there is very little incentive. Haven't we heard of countless Filipino inventors who sold their inventions to other countries because the Philippine government does not give them enough support. More often, they are not even given any form of attention.
Governmental policies should change if we are to compete in this fast paced and technology-driven global economy. We cannot continue the practice. Otherwise, we become an economy dependent on other nations and not self-sustaining as mandated by the Philippine Constitution.
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