Lapu-Lapu hosts ICT Summit today

CEBU, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City is set to host the first ever Regional ICT Summit and Exhibitions (RISE) 2023 in the Visayas to showcase the potential of Central Visayas in the information and communications technology.

The event that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has organized will be held today, December 5.

Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue of the ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB) said that under the guidance of the Agency, RISE will support the IT-BPM Centers of Excellence, New Wave Cities, and Digital Cities, offering them a platform to showcase their locations and contribute to building a diverse and inclusive digital ecosystem nationwide.

“The Office of the Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development Bureau together with various international and local Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offices is looking into Region 7’s readiness as the IT-BPM industry targets additional 1-million jobs concentrated outside of Metro Manila by 2028,” Batapa-Sigue said in a statement.

RISE is geared to gather leading ICT experts and potential investors to present the region to the IT-BPM industry to attract ICT jobs, investments and opportunities and maximizing the role of local ICT councils.

Aside from BPO industry locators and ICT councils - the third sector coming to RISE are “ecosystem builders” like universities, incubators and technology providers.

According to DICT, RISE is targeted to showcase and evaluate the holistic readiness of the regions for digital jobs within the IBP sector, touching on talent development, digital workforce competence, business environment, and other critical considerations, by delving deeper into the readiness of local communities for digital jobs in the IT-BPM and other ICT sectors while emphasizing the role of ICT councils in driving these initiatives.

The one-day event will feature a high-level roundtable discussion on the IT-BPM industry. — (FREEMAN)