THE CONTINUING saga of the national broadband network/ZTE scandal is another grim reminder of one of the biggest reasons information and communications technology still hasn’t really benefited many Filipinos: good ideas (maybe even good intentions) easily give way to greed in this country.

Of course, many government projects become mired in scandal and corruption, but somehow government IT projects seem even more susceptible. Probably because, on the one hand, everyone knows how important it is for our country to fully embrace ICT in order to remain globally competitive, but, on the other hand, much of the stuff is pretty technical that it might be easier to pull off a fast one. Then again, if one cynically assumes that the people who broker such deals are just after kickbacks, then they don’t really have to understand or care about the technical issues; it just so happens that ICT projects are “sexy” enough to be considered national priorities.

Frankly, I’m not really sure what to believe anymore. I’ve always maintained that ICT can be used to improve the lot of Filipinos, and I’ve always been optimistic about our capacity for self-improvement. Yet over the years, we’ve seen so many ICT initiatives fall by the wayside, heard so many promises about making the Philippines an ICT hub, seen so many ICT champions come and go. I still believe those of us who have been fortunate to become one of the digital haves should do our share in helping the digital have-nots. But how do we achieve these lofty goals in the face of unrelenting greed?

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WE interviewed new Commission on Information and Communications Technology chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III for The Newsmaker Podcast right after his first media briefing.

INQUIRER.net executive editor Leo Magno was the host while I recorded the podcast on Mikaela, my MacBook Pro, using GarageBand. Assisting us were our two reporters who also covered the media briefing, Lawrence Casiraya and Alex Villafania.

Check out the audio podcast.

We also did a vidcast for our iVDO video channel. Check it out.

Got comments and suggestions? E-mail us at newsmaker@inquirer.net

THE FIRST media briefing of new Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III at the CICT office has started.

Roxas-Chua says the CICT will push for full automation of the 2010 polls.

“We are fully committed to providing a recommendation to Comelec of a fully-automated 2010 election,” Roxas-Chua said in response to a question.

Roxas-Chua also said that they would push for the creation of a Department of ICT.

***

Regarding poll automation, Roxas-Chua said they have decided to give a parallel recommendation for automation to Comelec, one for 2008 (ARMM) and one for 2010.

I asked the CICT chairman what lessons he has learned from the previous failed attempts at poll automation.

He said that the CICT will work closely with the agencies concerned and work on issues properly. He said that being new to government, he realizes that government agencies need to follow processes to get things done.

“I think from the beginning, we need to identify the possible obstacles from the start,” Roxas-Chua said, pointing out that this would avoid having projects derailed in the end by a technicality.

“I believe the technology is there. I believe people are receptive to new technology. I believe there’s no impediment except technicalities,” Roxas-Chua explained.

***

Roxas-Chua said his vision for the CICT is to bring ICT to the forefront and make it part of all walks of life. He cited the fact that many Filipinos still do not have access to personal computers, let alone a broadband Internet connection.

* * *

Asked if he would request a bigger budget, Roxas-Chua said he would stress effective utilization of the current budget rather than necessarily asking for an increase.

***

“ICT expertise resides with CICT, so when it comes to recommendations they have to listen to what we have to say. But the key word here is dialogue,” Roxas-Chua said, when asked to respond to previous criticism of the CICT and the role it plays in ICT policymaking. Roxas-Chua stressed that CICT will work closely together with other concerned agencies.

I SUPPOSE a number of people in the tech industry are asking this question, because many of us don’t really know much about Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III, who was appointed chairman of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

We’ll soon find out, though, as he’s set to face the media in his first press conference this Wednesday.

Here’s an excerpt from Erwin Oliva’s article:

Roxas-Chua III replaced Ramon Sales who filed an indefinite leave and later resigned for health reasons.

Prior to his appointment, Roxas-Chua III was president of the ARCYA Glass Corporation, a glass manufacturing company, and vice president and assistant general manager of Pacific Land and Building Corporation, a property development and management company, a copy of his short curriculum vitae indicated.

(Originally published as a column piece on Dec. 13, 2006)

SINGAPORE reminds me a lot of Terminus and the Foundation, I told one of my fellow delegates at X|Media|Lab Singapore during the cocktails to celebrate the last day of the digital workshop. He was a professor who had moved from the United Kingdom over a decade ago to find greener pastures in the Lion City, and he smiled at the geeky reference to Isaac Asimov’s classic science fiction masterpiece.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a space ship land here,” he quipped, pointing out how futuristic the National Library was. The party was being held at The Pod, which is on the top floor of the 16-storey new National Library building that opened last year to replace the old one in Stamford Road. You can’t access The Pod, which is not open to the public but rather used for special functions and events, via the regular elevators. Instead, you need to make your way to the special elevator, where you will be greeted by someone with an access card that will allow you to board and be transported to the top floor, where a breathtaking panoramic view of Singapore and even nearby countries like Malaysia and Indonesia awaits you.

How geeky and even “Mission Impossible”-like is that?

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