IT summit positions Davao City as IT-BPM hub

DAVAO CITY — An official of the Department of Information Communications Technology 11 (DICT 11) bared on Monday that the upcoming Information Technology (IT) summit in Davao City aims to position the city as a hub for the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in the Davao Region.

Slated from November 6 to 9 at the SM Lanang Premier’s SMX Convention Center, the Regional IT Summit Expo will gather CEOs of IT-BPM firms, stakeholders, and local chief executives of the local government units (LGUs) in the region.

DICT 11 Information Technology Officer Engr. Albert Gabriel said the summit also aims to enhance the knowledge of other provinces in the region on how they can contribute to the IT industry.

“Since Davao City is the center of excellence for the IT industry, this program aims to address the stakeholders’ needs for the IT-BPM industry,” Mr. Gabriel said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao.

Mr. Gabriel said that the summit will be highlighted with a learning session for opportunities related to the ICT industry and development. It will also emphasize the importance of the IT-BPM industry in the whole region.

He said the summit will put into the spotlight the Philippine Skills Framework, which aims to align the gap between the academe and the industry on what skills they need for the industry to develop ICT skills based on manpower.

DICT 11 has a partnership with ICT Davao for the ICT roadmap targeting to achieve 150 full-time employees for the IT-BPM by 2028.

“At the same time, we will be also showcasing… what is the infrastructure… needed by the local government unit or a certain city… to allow them to give a location for IT-BPM industry,” Mr. Gabriel said.

“We are looking at the contributions of technology not just in one industry but all other industries as well. That is why it’s convergent innovation and we are targeting sectors not just purely from ICT but also creatives. What’s unique about this summit is we’ve invited mostly participants from the industry and stakeholders in the academe. We have allotted a day for the academe to share on what’s the update in the academe industry,” said lawyer Ryan Lee Mesias, executive director of ICT Davao. — Maya M. Padillo