Pangasinan touts growth of ICT industry in Luzon leg of IT-BPM Roadshow

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - As plans are afoot to build a regional government center in Pangasinan, the province also magnifies its energy to take on board the development initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) called the Next Wave CitiesTM.



The Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) primarily considered Pangasinan, among all provinces in Luzon, to implement this year’s Information Technology - Business Process Management (IT-BPM) Roadshow in slated on September 10 to 11 at Consuelo Hotel, Lingayen.


Since 2001, there has been a dramatic surge in the development of the IT-BPM industry in the Philippines as seen it its high employment, revenue generation, and outsourcing destination. However, the National Capital Region (NCR) leads the status quo. Therefore, there is a need to spread the welfare across other regions and cities while easing the inflationary pressures in high-density IT-BPM locations.


In this respect, the roadshow aims to provide a proper venue among the province’s labor force including the government and the local stakeholders to present and discuss prospects of the IT-BPM industry in realizing a more balanced development and providing more job opportunities in the countryside poising it to ride a new wave of revolution in information and communications technology (ICT).


Speakers from various organizations such as the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI), Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and the Philippine Software Industry Association of the Philippines (PSIA) will be sharing awareness on the IT-BPM industry, challenges on ICT infrastructure building, and strategies in making Pangasinan a prime mover of ICT initiatives that will lead to competent human resources.


With the annual 30% growth of the IT-BPM industry in the country, employment has diversified significantly in breadth, scale, and maturity of services.


“Through our Next Wave CitiesTM initiative, we aim to create regional ICT hubs and provide economic opportunities in these areas with the help of our partners from the IT-BPM sector. We look forward to engaging everyone in a dialogue to explore employment and partnership opportunities for all stakeholders in these localities,” DOST-ICT Office Deputy Executive Director Monchito Ibrahim said.


The roadshow also aims to promote ITpreneurship through testimonials from successful e-commerce and IT advocates in Pangasinan such as Brian Escano of Farmout, Mike Fernandez of Pixelhub Asia, and Ryan Catambing of Riemann Technology Solutions.


Vanj Padilla, the President of Pangasinan ICT Council (PICTC) said that “Pangasinan is envisioned to be the best place to invest, live, work and raise a family. So, putting up BPO companies in the area is a right move.” Padilla will deliver a talk indicating that the town of Lingayen is a potential Next Wave City – a Philippine-specific term that identifies ICT hubs beyond Manila, based on implemented criteria.


To see a copy of the IT-BPMC Roadshow’s schedule, go to metrodagupanict.wix.com


About MDICT Office - MDICT is a non-stock and a non-profit volunteer organization that aims to promote Pangasinan and its chartered cities to be the next Big Wave IT Hubs in the Philippines. Its core function is to empower students and improve IT competency, drive the development of IT infrastructure and invite IT businesses to start up or expand their operations in Pangasinan. MDICT is a member of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) and a partner of the DOST-ICTO office.