The 2nd Cebu ICT Summit: Summit Manager's Notes

The Summit Discussions tackled issues that, as far as the online and live focus group discussions indicate, already have existing programs, projects or intervention strategies initiated either by not-for-profit organizations, private sector and the government (both local and national).

The rationale for this approach is to avoid starting discussions around purely conceptual approaches to issues. The first summit was peppered by so much of these discussions largely on purpose but mostly to find consensus. The 2nd Summit is no longer getting consensus to identify issues, it is to rally stakeholders to a more focused program of action.

In the early meetings to organize the 2nd Cebu ICT Summit in the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it was decided that it will be a purely private-sector led initiative to be supported by government. The strategy was to set the direction by holding the 2nd Cebu ICT Summit first thereafter organizing a private organizational vehicle that will see the program through 2010 and eventually to 2015.

The Workshop Manager’s Notes are the summaries of the discussions of the four (4) Pillars of the Silicon Valley Model and the Special Session on the Digital Divide (or what was later on referred to as Digital Inclusion). The summaries are organized in a Program Matrix consisting originally of three (3) columns and a fourth column was added at the end of the session to reflect the ranking of the clusters of programs into priorities. The programs were ranked from 1, 2, 3 according to degree of importance to the delegates with one as being the most important and urgent.

The Program Matrices found in the Facilitator’s Notes are shown with four (4) columns and reflects the points from the raw discussions in the summit--Nothing was added and nothing was taken from the notes.

The first column reflects the ranking of the issues and programs. The second column reflects issues under each pillar and special session that are considered critical to that pillar or special session. Many of these issues came from as far back as the first summit. Overall very few new issues came up in this summit. The third column reflects the initiatives, programs, projects or intervention strategies already existing or models already being use to resolve the issues. These initiatives, programs, projects or intervention strategies are implemented by government, the private sector or not-for-profit organizations. In a sense, all points under the third column entitled “Program of Actions” indicate that there exist models for approaching issues within the pillar. The fourth column shows the specific stakeholder or clusters of organizations that maybe able to contribute to the execution of the programs or has already implemented the program.

A separate and more comprehensive set of notes is being prepared as an input to a project management template that will be the basis for subsequent planning workshops with stakeholders. The original organizational vehicle during the planning meetings of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry was assumed to be a Foundation to keep the intent of keeping the ICT initiatives private sector led and to take advantage of the perpetuity of such an organization until its tasks are completed and the overall goals achieved.

I wish to thank the following that made the preparation and completion of the summit possible:

Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry most especially Clarito “Lito” Fruelda who made himself available during the planning meetings and Francis Monera our new President who pursued the summit to its conclusion.

Bonifacio “Boni” Belen, Executive Director of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology or CEDFIT, who started the discussions going and who was with us every step of the way. The same appreciation goes to the staff of CEDFIT without their toils the many hundreds of “small tasks” that led to the summit would not have been possible.

The Office of the Provincial Governor that harness the resources of the Planning and Development Office and the Management Information Systems. The many arrangements before and during the summit was made possible by the very active teams of these offices.

The Centre for International Education or CIE that committed its research, library and publishing resources to help me compile the voluminous references that led to the completion of the focus group discussion and workshop materials.

The delegates who stayed through the summit in spite of their heavy schedules and have unselfishly contributed their thoughts to complete the program of action.

May this summit set a truly productive agenda for all of us.