CICT Commissioner Tim Diaz de Rivera pose with staff at the CICT booth

The Convergence 2009 nationwide roadshow made its seventh stop in Pampanga on November 6-7, 2009 at the Fontana Convention Center. The two-day event highlighted the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) projects and programs and featured various exhibits, booths and job fairs.

The eGovernance track sponsored by the CICT-National Computer Center was a notable success, drawing a sizeable crowd with its sessions on the Community eCenter (CeC) Program, the eLGU, eSerbisyo and eBayad Projects, and other e-government services offered by the Commission.

Gracing the roadshow was no less than Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Also present were CICT Chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III and NCC Director General Angelo Timoteo M. Diaz de Rivera.

The roadshow, with the over-all theme "Empowering the Filipino through Information and Communications Technology," is aimed at pursuing objectives according to the CICT's four strategic areas of Cyber Services, Human Capital Development, eGovernment Development, and ICT Infrastructure.

The last three legs of the roadshow will be held in Cagayan de Oro (November 12-13), Bulacan (November 19-20) and Iloilo (November 27-28).

The Siay eSkwela Center

After the long preparation to ensure its proper administration, the Municipality of Siay has formally launched their eSkwela Center on July 1, 2009 at the Siay Municipal building.

The eSkwela Program, an added value program to the current Siay Community eCenter, was made possible through the partnership of the Commission on ICT (CICT) and the Department of Education.

The launch was attended by Siay Municipal Mayor Hon. Julius T. Acosta, Sr., Siay Vice Mayor Valentin B. Semella, Public Schools District Supervisor Mrs. Minda C. Alcantara, Bureau of Alternative Learning System Director Carolina S. Guerrero, and Provincial Schools Superintendent Dr. Manuel M. Muyargas.

Tupi CeC Manager Rolly Visaya (right) receives from Yvonne Flores of Intel the Nettop PC, the major raffle prize during the recently concluded 5th Knowledge Exchange Conference

“As to [the] winning - I didn't expect to win a major prize - a computer at that, for in the first place I didn't know that [a] computer unit would be the major prize,” says Mr. Rolando Visaya, CeC Manager of the Tupi Community eCenter in South Cotabato and winner of the major raffle prize – the low cost Nettop PC sponsored by Intel – during the 5th Knowledge Exchange Conference last September 23-24, 2009. “When the inventory of prizes was announced during the conference - I [even] thought of winning even the 4Gb USB drive na lang.”

But the abundance in raffle prizes was not the main reason why he joined the conference. As one of those CeC managers who give their wholehearted support to the Commission on ICT (CICT) initiatives in Region 12, he was there to gain knowledge and learning on how other managers managed their CeC - learning which he could then apply in Tupi.

Indeed, one of programs which caught his interest was the eSkwela, a program which he believes would really help the out-of-school youth and adults (OSYAs) in their community to go back to school and earn a high school diploma.

The eLGU Community eCenter in Tanauan, Leyte continues to serve its community as a conduit for efficient delivery of government and other services and a potent tool for empowerment of unserved and underserved communities. As it continues to serve, it also continues to grow, both in number and in reach.

From the initial four computers donated by the National Computer Center, Tanauan CeC now boasts of sixteen desktops, ten of which were obtained through the initiative of Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla; seven laptops; fourteen printers (inkjet, laser jet and continuous ink system); a photocopier; digital and video cameras; wireless routers; a digital light processing projector; and a job kiosk.

With this expansion of infrastructure, the CeC also expanded its services to include additional programs and projects, such as the eSkwela Program for out-of-school youth and adults (OSYAs). As of June 2009, a total of sixty-seven eSkwela learners are officially enrolled in the Tanauan eSkwela.  Mana Flora, the oldest municipal scholar at 56 years old, wishes to convince her eleven children that it is not yet too late, even for her, to learn and to finish high school.