Philippines' ICT Development

tatistics show that ICT or access to the

internet is very important to any
developing country especially in
today's modernized/ technology based
world.

Philippines was graded no. 7 among Asia's top

internet countries, this was based from the
Internet World Stats acquisitions. Despite of this
claim, countries like U.S.A, Japan, Korea and
other third world countries are still a far fetched
in terms of digitization.
The quality of internet connection in
the Philippines is said to be slow and
poor. This is one of the reasons why our
country is loosing it's footing in
globalization.
A report pointed out that only a
privileged few (7.1%) actually enjoy
broadband-speed connectivity, a stark
contrast to that of neighbors like
Malaysia (22%), Singapore (67%), and
Thailand (70%). If Philippine ISPs do not
feel the need to catch up with their
Asian counterparts, they ought to
improve service for their clients.
According to Ericson's Consumer Lab
survey, Filipino consumers feel that
internet service in the country leaves
much to be desired, and they are
willing to shell out more moneyfor
better service quality depending on
how they use broadband and for
particular circumstances. This begs the
question: Arent consumers already
paying enough for broadband? Or is
slow
internet
caused
by
poor
infrastructure combined with the telcos
business practice of over subscription?
In a broader context, this top Facebook
user-country (ranked 8th in the world)
has sadly remained a straggler in

exploiting ICTs full potential. The latest

Networked Readiness Index (NRI)
ranked the Philippines at no. 86 (out of
142 countries)its worst performance
in five years, starting from no. 69 (out
of 122) in 2006. The NRIs sub-indices
point to some national issues that give
a clearer picture of why and how the
Philippines has failed to leverage ICT to
boost its competitiveness.
Under
the
environment
subindex
(quality of political and regulatory
environment, as well as business and
innovation
environment),
the
Philippines scored lower than most of
its Southeast Asian neighbors and even
a few low-income African and Latin
American nations.
This poor ranking could mean the
absence of a policy framework that
helps expand ICT access and allows the
best possible use technology. This is not
surprising given the absence of a
central government agency to oversee
ICT development in the country. It also
suggests that doing business could be
tough, with problems like excessive red
tape and uncertain intellectual property
protection, among others.
In terms of readiness (infrastructure
and digital content, affordability, and
skills), the Philippines scored better
globally, but still lower than Indonesia
and Thailand. This may partly explain
why these countries continue to attract
investments far more successfully than
the Philippines.
The Philippines fell behind its Southeast
Asian neighbors when it came to ICT
usage. How is ICT being utilized for
meaningful
everyday
use
by
individuals, business, and government?
Does ICT usage end in sending an
average of 1.8 billion text messages a

day or immense fascination with virtual

social networking? To what extent are
business entities utilizing ICT? Does the
government prioritize ICT? How many
online government services are being
offered?
If the Philippines internet and ICT were
to ever catch up with the rest of the
world, many questions need to be
addressed. The answers may not come
easy, but it is important to never stop
asking.