The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) has urged the House of Representatives to back the creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that will support the country’s position as an investment destination, as well as to promote efficiency in government services.
In a letter to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., the coalition of foreign business groups said a stand-alone office for ICT will drive modernization of business processes in the country.
The JFC noted that about 80 percent of countries globally have dedicated an independent office for ICT.
The business group also cited benefits of creating a DICT, including e-governance, data protection, cybersecurity and efficiency and reduction of cost for the government.
“In this context, we urge the House of Representatives to pass the corresponding measure of the DICT bill already approved by the Senate, with the objective to ratify the bill before the end of the 16th Congress. The establishment of a DICT will ensure that the Philippine business environment can enjoy the benefits of one more landmark bill before the end of the current administration,” JFC said.
“In addition to our full support for the establishment of a DICT, we would like to reiterate that the foreign-business community in the Philippines is wholly committed to actively supporting the implementation of a future DICT law, to ensure that the creation of a DICT translates into overarching benefits for the competitiveness of the Philippine economy at a regional and global level,” it added.
The JFC is composed of local arms of overseas business chambers of America, Australia-New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, as well as the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters.
The JFC represents 3,000 member-companies trading more than $230 billion with the Philippines and investing some $30 billion in the local market.