Birth of NCC

Because of the burgeoning computer services being provided by the Center to a growing number of government agencies., Melchor , who by then was already both Executive Secretary to the late President Ferdinand Marcos and Deputy Minister of the DND, wasted no time and mapped out emergence of a new entity and identity from the old PES-DND Computer Center. Thus, by virtue of Executive Order 322, the National Computer Center was birthed on June 12, 1971. NCC was mandated to be the lead government agency in IT development in the country. Sanchez recalls, " Since the time of the PDCC, later institutionalized as the NCC, the guidance and task given to us by our Boss, then Executive Secretary Melchor, was to Prove that the computer center can be useful and effective as tool towards national development, specifically in the administration of agencies and in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of national projects and programs. The moving spirit behind PDCC and later NCC was Alex Melchor. His greatest role and contribution to NCC was that the believed and trusted the Institution. And so the men and women of NCC had simply no choice but to live up his belief and trust".

Melchor upheld the vision of NCC as a catalyst to the computerization of all government agencies. This he passed on to Col. Sanchez who was a military officer, armed with UP-MBA diploma, and adept in motivating and managing people towards results. Clearly, the demand for computer-based management information systems (MIS) in the government had been increasing considerably. Hence, the need for the creation of a distinct government agency which would be responsible for the conceptualization, design, development and implementation of computer-based MIS to support various government projects. This significant role was assumed by NCC. To drumbeat this, they adopted the NCC motto, "Innovate or Stagnate".