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.

“Upon assimilation of the knowledge from Sir Pido about ‘abundance, yes and dharma’... my thoughts and eyes [were] opened - to think that everything is already around us - nature, talents, skills…and what more can we ask? It stimulates my wild imagination that my CeC would be of great help to the community and the funding and resources would just flow in if only I direct my orientation [on] the urgent need of [a] CeC in my municipality. Should I [would] be able to convince decision makers of the importance of CeC in governance and in development - the support would just flow in.”

Now back in Tupi, Mr. Visaya is eager to put his plans to action, foremost of which is the institutionalization of the CeC. Tupi Municipal Mayor Valentin B. Mariano, Jr., has already given him authority and support for the CeC to be fully operational and its services stable.

He is also planning to introduce the Nettop he won to barangay officials for the possibility of putting up a mini CeC in the remote barangays of Tupi, considering the functionality and the low cost of the Nettop PC.

The greatest thing he learned during the conference? “Stop complaining - do what you think is good and the support and resources would follow once we have proven the worth of our project.”

Abundance, Yes, Dharma!