Ribbon-cutting during Socorro CeC Launch

The launch, which was held back-to-back with the ground breaking of the Provincial Engineering Sub-Office and the Panambay sa Barangay, was also attended by the Commissioner of the Department of Education (DepEd) - Mindanao, the Regional Director of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) - CARAGA, provincial board members and office heads, selected mayors of Surigao del Norte towns and municipal and barangay officials of Socorro.

The inspirational message of Board Member Mamerto E. Galanida, former mayor of Socorro, followed by the informative video message of Philippine CeC Program Head and National Computer Center – Field Operations Office Director Maria Teresa M. Camba, enlightened and inspired everyone present to support the center and its future projects.

Equipment deployment at Bacolod Kalawi CeC. From left: Azis Pangcoga, CeC manager; Hon. Diarangan Jaffar Dipatuan, Municipal Mayor; Arlyn Amores, NCC Regional IT Coordinator for ARMM; and Amer Watamama, assistant CeC manager.

To the people of Bacolod Kalawi during the past years, peace is but a five-letter word dream. The idea of peace, a trivial concept to people from urban areas, is a powerful idea for the local residents. The never-ending feud between the powerful clans of the municipality has residents living under constant fear and trepidation. For years, the highway of Bacolod Kalawi, the main road from Balindong to the inner municipalities of the second district, was impassable due to several incidents of armed conflicts which claimed a number of innocent lives.

This is one of the issues that Mayor Diarangan Dipatuan hopes to solve upon his assumption as mayor of Bacolod Kalawi. One of the ways with which the local government hopes to achieve peace and development is through the use of relevant technologies.

Upon learning about the Philippine Community eCenter (CeC) Program of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), Mayor Dipatuan immediately applied for the hosting of a CeC in their municipality. He was very glad when he was informed a week later that Bacolod Kalawi passed the evaluation and was granted one slot in the project. The CeC, according to Mayor Dipatuan, will be their guide to adopt technology in their municipality, a feat which they found difficult to even start before.

CeC MOA signing with Biri Mayor Jaime S. Garcia (center), and LGU officials (from right), Felipe B. Tagapuen, Supply Officer, and Salve DeLos Reyes, Budget Officer and CeC Manager. Also in photo are tourist Kevin Lenert from California and NCC Region 8 IT Coordinator Claire Fernandez.

The establishment of a Community eCenter in Biri, one of Northern Samar's most fascinating towns with its natural scenic spots and magnificent rock formations, highlighted two major accomplishments for the local government. First, it successfully established a network for all computers both in the CeC and the offices of the municipality. Second, it heralded the installation of a wireless Internet connection (wi-fi) in the municipal premises.

The Global School of Technology of Catarman and CompTech, a private ICT company based in Catarman, the capital town of Northern Samar, will be Biri's first two clients. Both will be renting the CeC for their TESDA certification program in Programming and Information Technology this August.
 
After the certification program, the CeC also plans to conduct tutorials on Basic Computer Literacy, Office Applications and Internet Basics for its employees. In fact, the GSIS office in Biri has been requiring all its regular employees to have their own individual email addresses. With the establishment of Biri CeC, many will now able to create their own email addresses while learning the basics of computing and the internet.

(L-R): Mayor's sister and representative Ms. Johayfa Mindalano, Municipal Treasurer, Arlyn Amores of NCC, Vice Mayor Abdulhamid Amerbitor, and CeC Manager Jasimah Amer.

The municipality of Madamba, one of the largest municipalities in Lanao del Sur, is situated in the mountain highlands of the province. With a total land area of 64,250 square kilometres, it is covered with vast forestlands and meadows stretching towards the borders of Lanao del Norte. It takes a 45-minute ride along the crooked and narrow (and sometimes rocky) paths to get to Barangay Uyaan, the municipality’s poblacion.

Due to its remote location, the community is faced with minimal development opportunities and the residents continue to live in the situations of the past. These conditions have led the local government of Madamba to seek some ways and means to introduce growth to their rather sedentary community.

Vice Mayor Abdulhamid Amerbitor, who has lived in Manila for about fifteen years, knows and believes that technology plays a major role in the development of a society. Thus, with the support and commitment of Mayor Dagoroan Mindalano, he sought the help of the National Computer Center, through the Philippine CeC Program, to bring technology to their municipality.