Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Francisco T. Duque III, National Computer Center (NCC) Director General Angelo Timoteo M. Diaz de Rivera and BIR Commissioner Joel L. Tan-Torres signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) last May 26 at the BIR National Training Center marking the BIR’s participation in the project. “Today’s signing of the MoA gets us closer to the goal, which is to provide fast and reliable support via the CCB. This system was devised to save clients the time and frustration of being given the run-around by providing their needed information or assistance at the soonest time possible,” stated Duque during a press conference held after the MoA signing.

The Citizen’s Helpline or CCB is a 24/7 contact center facility intended to address the concerns of the general public via voice call, short messaging service (SMS), fax, e-mail or the Internet. It shall be the means for citizens to air their complaints or request for information and assistance, and get corresponding action or feedback in real time.

The pilot stage of the project will start in the third quarter of 2010. Agencies identified to undergo the pilot run are BIR, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and Department of Health. The CSC is the lead agency for the implementation and interconnection of the citizen’s helplines, with technical assistance from NCC which acts as the Project Manager of the CCB Project.

Under the MOA, the NCC has a one-year funding for the network, software, hardware and technology, and the corresponding technical expertise in the pilot run of the Citizen’s Helpline.

The CSC will then gather pertinent data and information as input to the Central Knowledge Database which will be utilized by the CCB agents. These data will be used as tool to respond to the concerns of the public. It may also serve as basis for the issuance of corresponding performance report to the pilot agencies on its efficiency and effectiveness in responding to calls based on the reports generated by the System. The BIR on its part shall extend its existing contract center infrastructure, call center agents and pertinent contact information of BIR officials and employees, and services.

The CCB is in line with the implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and Administrative Order (AO) No. 241 which provides the establishment and interconnectivity of government help lines to current and future public assistance systems to improve the delivery of services to the public and cut red tape.

To mark Get Online Day!, CICT will launch 92 new Community eCenters (CeC) during the ceremony to highlight the effort of government to make ICT technologies and facilities more accessible to the grassroots and to everyone.

Also, the CICT computer laboratories and offices, the CeCs which now number more than a thousand centers located in majority of municipalities around the country, public high schools that are recipients of computer laboratories under the iSchools program and the country’s leading Internet café, Netopia, have joined hands to provide free on-line computer use during the day to the general public. The CeCs are at the forefront of the comprehensive program to empower communities through ICT.

“ICT has been Government’s primary strategy and tool to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the global economic arena and generate much-needed jobs and livelihood opportunities for the nation,” CICT Chairman and Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III declared.

CICT, the executive agency which is tasked to lead the crafting and implementation of the ICT policies and programs to foster and put in place the ICT system and infrastructure as an engine of national progress, is leading the month-long celebration. June was proclaimed the National ICT Month in recognition of the role of ICT in national development and the commitment of government to further make ICT a vehicle for more effective, transparent and efficient delivery of services to the citizenry.

Sec. Roxas-Chua explained that CICT aims to encourage more Filipinos to harness ICT through the Internet to enable them to maximize employment and livelihood opportunities, readily access needed information and services from the government and other organizations, and become better and more productive members of society.

“We invite students, the elderly and young, and the entire population to participate and go to the nearest CeC, CICT offices and Netopia branch in your community,” he said, ”to personally see how ICT can help you access information on the world wide web, communicate across national and international boundaries, and enhance education and learning for all.”

The month-long celebration features various activities such as free internet services, ICT literacy and tutorial and learning sessions, CeC open houses and ICT forums to encourage people and communities to get online and to discuss issues of interest to the industry stakeholders. June is commemorated as the month when the landmark eCommerce Law was passed by the Congress.

On June 18, following the ceremonial launch of CeCs, the Philippine CeC successor roadmap for 2010-2016 will be presented to stakeholders, industry participants and partners to evaluate and generate more inputs to the plan to propagate ICT through the CeC program. The CeC roadmap is a component of the over-all ICT Sector Roadmap.

For information on the Get Online Activities in your area, please contact your Community eCenter. You may also contact the National ICT Month Secretariat at NIM2010@cict.gov.ph or telefax at 632 426 1525.

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Francisco T. Duque III, National Computer Center (NCC) Director General Angelo Timoteo M. Diaz de Rivera and BIR Commissioner Joel L. Tan-Torres signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on May 26 at the BIR National Training Center marking the BIR’s participation in the project.

“Today’s signing of the MoA gets us closer to the goal, which is to provide fast and reliable support via the CCB. This system was devised to save clients the time and frustration of being given the run-around by providing their needed information or assistance at the soonest time possible,” stated Duque during a press conference held after the MoA signing.

The Citizen’s Helpline or CCB is a 24/7 contact center facility intended to address the concerns of the general public via voice call, short messaging service (SMS), fax, e-mail or the Internet. It shall be the means for citizens to air their complaints or request for information and assistance, and get corresponding action or feedback in real time.

The pilot stage of the project will start in the third quarter of 2010. Agencies identified to undergo the pilot run are BIR, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and Department of Health. The CSC is the lead agency for the implementation and interconnection of the citizen’s helplines, with technical assistance from NCC which acts as the Project Manager of the CCB Project.

Under the MOA, the NCC has a one-year funding for the network, software, hardware and technology, and the corresponding technical expertise in the pilot run of the Citizen’s Helpline.

The CSC will then gather pertinent data and information as input to the Central Knowledge Database which will be utilized by the CCB agents. These data will be used as tool to respond to the concerns of the public. It may also serve as basis for the issuance of corresponding performance report to the pilot agencies on its efficiency and effectiveness in responding to calls based on the reports generated by the System.

The BIR on its part shall extend its existing contact center infrastructure, call center agents and pertinent contact information of BIR officials and employees, and services.

The CCB is in line with the implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and Administrative Order (AO) No. 241 which provides the establishment and interconnectivity of government help lines to current and future public assistance systems to improve the delivery of services to the public and cut red tape.

Organized by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, this year’s ceremonies ended with the awarding of the ICT Individual Contributor of the Year, which gave recognition to individuals either from the public or private sector who had been actively involved in leading, promoting, facilitating or assisting companies in the business process outsourcing sector (BPO) in the Philippines for the year 2009.

This year, the recipient of this prestigious award emerged from the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) - Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III. Secretary Roxas-Chua paid tribute to the CICT, which has spearheaded programs to enhance country’s ICT infrastructure, put in place a favorable investment climate and strengthened the country’s ICT talent and manpower pool.

“This award is a testament to the whole ICT industry in general and to the CICT and its employees, whose singular focus and work has spurred the industry’s rapid growth and accelerated the sector’s contribution to the Philippine economy," Roxas-Chua said, who has championed ICT since his assumption of office in October 2007.

BPAP President and CEO Oscar Sañez acknowledged the contributions of Secretary Roxas-Chua, saying

“Secretary Roxas-Chua has led the effort for all the marketing missions the industry embarked on across six different international markets last year. He had been the most fervent champion of Philippine O&O with all the important audiences that the industry caters to, whether they are the international prospects, the major consultants in the industry, the CEOs of major companies or the local ICT Councils as part of the BPAP Next Wave Cities promotion in the Cyber Corridor program.”

Under Roxas-Chua’s leadership and watch as CICT Chairman, together with strategic partnerships with the private sector, the Philippines has emerged as one of the top BPO destinations in the world. In 2009, the National Outsourcing Association of the United Kingdom named the Philippines “Offshoring Destination of the Year” for the second time in three years. The country’s industry has successfully moved up in the BPO value chain by going into new, higher value-added domains such as business analysis, financial services, accounting, software development, architectural and engineering design, animation and game development.

By year-end 2009, the BPO industry had created around 442,000 jobs and generated annual export revenue of 7.2 billion US dollars. While the bulk still comes from voice-based customer contact solutions providers, the higher value-added BPO services have made strides and begun to make significant financial impact on the country’s BPO export earnings.

Apart from serving as the Chairman of the CICT, Secretary Roxas-Chua is also the Development Champion of the Cyber Corridor Superregion and Outsourcing Czar.

As Development Champion, Secretary Roxas-Chua has made the development of “Next Wave Cities” within the Cyber Corridor a priority of the CICT. He has succeeded in generating stronger government support for the industry, from no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It was under Secretary Roxas-Chua’s tenure when direct government subsidy was obtained to fund the industry’s strategic programs and projects.

Together with BPAP and the Department of Trade and Industry, these “Next Wave Cities” are alternative locations for BPO investments outside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. These cities include Metro Laguna, Metro Cavite, Iloilo, Davao, Bacolod, Metro Pampanga, Metro Bulacan, Cagayan de Oro, Central Bulacan and Lipa.

 This is what propels Ma. Marvin Amatorio to pursue her vocation as a Community eCenter (CeC) Manager in the municipality of Bato, Leyte. 

 The Philippine Community eCenter’s official web portal, http://philcecnet.ph, was lauded as one of the websites qualified to receive the Disabled-Friendly Website Award conferred by the Philippine Web Accessibility Group in partnership with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA).

 This award is given in recognition to websites that are “disabled-friendly” – sites that are accessible to all, including users with physical disabilities.