Creation of ICT body pushed during session

A proposed provincial ordinance for the creation of an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Council was approved by the Cebu Provincial Board on second reading, Monday.

The proposed ordinance, authored by Provincial Board (PB) member Edsel Galeos, called for the creation of a policy advisory body that could oversee the implementation of Capitol’s ICT goals.

“I think it’s best to come up with an ordinance to establish and institutionalize an ICT council to facilitate a collective, collaborative and unified endeavor from the different ICT sectors in order to accelerate the use, promotions, development and exploitation of technology for the benefit of everyone,” said Galeos.

Under the current setup, the ICT programs of the provincial government are being implemented by the provincial Capitol and also by the different cities and towns.

According to Galeos, other local government units (LGUs) in the province use a different software not compatible with the IT language used at the Capitol.

“There can be a program of incompatibilities if the LGUs are left to implement their own ICT programs. This is the right time to have control and supervision of the LGUs’ ICT initiatives in order to align or harmonize with the province programs,” Galeos said.

For the creation of the ICT Council, Galeos asked for a P2-million budget allocation to cover “administrative matters for the council to function.”