Inspired by the success of last year’s training, Roxas Community eCenter of Oriental Mindoro, in partnership with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), conducted another Computer Literacy Training for Municipal Employees. The training benefitted employees who use the computer and other similar technologies in performing their functions and providing services.

With the training, the center aims to enhance the capabilities and competencies of municipal employees to streamline record-keeping and administrative tasks by introducing Information Communications Technology (ICT), to decrease isolation by using email and Internet to communicate with other respective agencies, and to equip them with the knowledge of proper use and maintenance of IT equipment.

The two-week training which kicked off last September 14, 2009 covers four competency areas: word processing, spreadsheet computing, preparing presentations and Internet browsing.

Software licensing has been one of the hindrances faced by small businesses and offices having limited budget, in terms of developing their ICT capabilities. This is because software license costs are high. But most people fail to see that there are a lot of open source software alternatives available out there.

Open source software has come a long way and has evolved through the years. Nowadays, you can easily find free open source applications that can serve as an alternative to many of the popular proprietary software commonly used today. These open source applications can run on Windows and some even on Mac platforms, and not just on Linux.

Tulay is a Tagalog term for “bridge”. Bridge is defined as something that connects two points for people to pass through. This same analogy is practiced by Ms. Lynette Ysalina, a trainer at the OWWA Tulay Caraga Community Technology Learning Center (CTLC), who created the blog “The Bridge ”, designed to be an instructional and communication tool for her trainees.

This blog brings CTLC trainees together by providing an avenue where they can practice the skills they have acquired from their training, receive updates on new learning skills and activities from the OWWA Tulay Center, share photos and documentation, and share stories of hardwork, successes and best practices. By blogging, the trainees are provided their own links, facilitating online bonding.

Launched last October 20, 2008, the CTLC provided Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families free training on basic computer applications such as MS Word and Excel, email, video conferencing, online chat and blogging. These skills allowed more families to bridge social distances with the click of an icon.

Mayor Vicente Orencia of Governor Generoso signs the Memorandum of Understanding while Region XI IT Coordinator Virgil Fuentes and NCC Field Operations Group Head for Mindanao Cheryl Ortega look on.

Being the pro-active mayor of historic Governor Generoso, the oldest town in Davao Region, Mayor Vicente Orencia was the first Local Chief Executive (LCE) in Davao Region to ink a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commission on ICT for the establishment of a Community eCenter in the municipality. The latter is part of CICT’s CeC roadmap implementation project which is subsidized by the eGovernment Fund.

The signing was held during the eGovernance Track of the Convergence 2009 ICT Roadshow in Davao City. It was witnessed by Ms. Cheryl Ortega, Mr. Noel E. Mendoza and Ms. Grace Martha Amberong, officials of the CICT-National Computer Center.

Showing eagerness to implement the noble project that will provide ICT access to the constituents of Gov. Generoso, Mayor Orencia spared time to swing to Davao City in spite of his hectic schedule.

Governor Generoso is five hours away from Davao City by public transport, so the establishment of a CeC in the area is a welcome initiative. It is expected to cater to the ICT needs particularly of locals who can barely afford to travel to Davao City.