DICT digitization bridges communication gaps within gov’t | Business and Politics - video Dailymotion

The Manila Times

DICT digitization bridges communication gaps within gov’t | Business and Politics  Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary and Chief Information Officer, David Almirol says that with the current digitization efforts, communication among government agencies have been ‘fixed.’ He adds that the greatest challenge of  digitalization is the migration or transition as some LGUs cling to their old systems.  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes

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00:00 Talk about the technology part, because these plans are all good, but of course they're

00:06 reliant on other things, some of them from the private sector.

00:11 For example, there was a lot of excitement with the rollout of Elon Musk's satellite

00:21 system.

00:22 But there were reportedly some problems with that.

00:27 But what have you been hearing?

00:28 What has been your experience?

00:31 Well, for me, there are successful use cases.

00:35 I hear that under the Office of Connectivity, they were able to have good use cases, especially

00:42 down to the far-flung areas of the Philippines.

00:45 Because a lot of areas in the Philippines, you cannot install fiber optics, so you need

00:50 to use satellites.

00:51 So not only the Starlink technology, but the ICT also use Vsats and other satellite providers

01:01 to reach out also even the far-flung areas.

01:04 So the idea here is not only connectivity, but they combine that with a use case.

01:10 So meaning that's why we have the solutions, the eGo Super App, the eLGU, the eReport,

01:15 so that they're able to enjoy and also ask the LGU to support as well.

01:21 Because we need also the support of the local government units to make sure that they have

01:25 connectivity.

01:26 So this is a joint collaboration between the government, the LGU, and the private sector.

01:31 So for example, Starlink is already available nationwide now, or there have been some problems

01:35 in some areas?

01:36 Or how is it coming along?

01:38 I know it's not part of the government, but you need them also to roll out some of these

01:41 programs, right?

01:42 Well, what have you been hearing?

01:44 I'm not fully aware right now on the Starlink issues, but I hear that there are success

01:50 stories already with Starlink.

01:53 And it's quite a high-end technology where you can just bring your satellite using a

01:59 backpack and you can have internet connectivity even to the far-flung areas.

02:06 But for me, we rely right now on the existing connectivity.

02:10 So we even ask even the telco to really help sustain and maintain also the existing connectivity,

02:16 especially the free Wi-Fi projects.

02:20 And I understand the broadband plan is not your project per se, but as you said, you're

02:24 working with different departments, also different people from DICT itself.

02:29 How is that project coming along?

02:31 Because this is going to be important also to connect the far-flung LGUs throughout the

02:38 country, right?

02:39 Yes.

02:40 So we're all proactive right now.

02:43 We have upskilling handled by Yusek Yusel.

02:47 So she's doing a lot of upskilling.

02:48 She's the one in charge of the broadband?

02:50 No, that's the upskilling side.

02:53 Yusek Nuestro, Angelo Nuestro, is the one doing the connectivity side.

02:58 He's the one doing the free Wi-Fi project, national broadband plan.

03:04 So I can see a lot of activities.

03:06 So for me, I am handing more on the e-government side.

03:10 So we are in close collaboration because e-government is useless without connectivity.

03:16 E-government cannot be sustained without upskilling.

03:18 So we go hand in hand together.

03:20 Right.

03:21 Now, I understand, as I said, came from Davao.

03:23 Davao is also looking at connecting directly to Davao rather than relying on connections

03:28 from Luzon.

03:30 Are there many of those also that the DICT is working on as far as you're aware of?

03:35 Yes, we're partnering to all LGUs.

03:38 So in fact, we are merging our strength with them because if they're doing something, we

03:43 need to integrate them.

03:44 And to make sure to have national visibility also.

03:48 I also hear that we need to have a monitoring system of the whole area of the Philippines

03:53 so that we know which area we need to help.

03:55 We need to assist.

03:57 Because maybe we're trying to do something here, but there are already connectivity here.

04:00 Why we need to do more connectivity there?

04:02 So we need to be strategically putting all of this satellites or connectivity so that

04:08 more Filipinos will enjoy more e-government solutions.

04:11 Right.

04:12 So what are some of the concerns that you have?

04:14 And besides the availability of the skilled workers, what are the other concerns that

04:23 you are or DICT is looking at that need to be resolved so that you can roll out this

04:29 plan successfully?

04:31 I think the plan to migrate from legacy systems to new ones.

04:39 Sometimes agencies still cling with their own old systems.

04:44 Innovation cannot be dependent on old technology.

04:48 It should be migrated.

04:51 That's why we've been educating a lot of government agencies to have their own migration plan.

04:55 Because it's too expensive to maintain legacy systems.

04:59 Super expensive.

05:00 A lot of maintenance, a lot of cloud services, servers, and so on and so forth.

05:05 New technology nowadays are very light.

05:08 They are easy to maintain.

05:09 Cheap.

05:11 And it can be maintained even by a few people.

05:16 Maybe that's one.

05:17 Another one is actually the collaboration between IT guys of government agencies.

05:25 So coordination.

05:26 Coordination.

05:27 The good news is we have the CIO council.

05:31 Our chairman is Secretary Ivan.

05:34 So I am the CIO, the Chief Information Officer of the ICT.

05:38 And agencies, they need to have their own CIO.

05:42 Communication is also the big gap.

05:44 Because governments are not talking to each other.

05:47 So sometimes they're doubling the task.

05:49 They're repeating the task.

05:51 So PNP might know about it, but the Bureau of Fire does it, or the other way around,

05:54 or something like that?

05:55 Correct.

05:56 So they started communicating.

05:57 And the CIO council is a very good venue for them to communicate.

06:02 To tell what they have.

06:04 So that if they have something, now agencies can use it.

06:09 If they also have something, maybe we prepare something here to link with them as well.

06:14 So what are some of those issues that you are looking to resolve within the CIO concept?

06:22 All agencies should be able to appoint their own CIOs.

06:26 Are they compliant?

06:27 I mean, is it 100% compliance right now?

06:30 Not right now, but a lot of agencies are already complying.

06:33 They submitted already their respective CIOs.

06:37 Now for the first time, we're able to know who's the responsible CIO in that particular

06:42 agency.

06:43 Because if you don't know who's responsible in doing that innovation to their agency,

06:47 we don't know who to talk to.

06:49 So now the communication is fixed.

06:52 Once that's solidified, I think we're able to communicate more and do more things together.

06:57 But I would imagine that's still quite a large group, quite complicated.

07:03 But how does it operate?

07:06 Maybe you can give us an insight, because you're the one sitting on that body.

07:12 Because you're talking about the entire government machinery here, right?

07:17 So do you meet once a month, once a quarter, or is it by cluster, or how does it work?

07:24 But as I said a while ago, the ICIT is a non-sectoral agency.

07:28 That's why we entice government agency to innovate on their own.

07:32 But we need to be notified.

07:33 So you give them general guidelines and then they implement on their own.

07:37 We're not going to do everything.

07:39 Agencies should have their own innovation activities.

07:43 They should plan and implement their own respective upgrades or enhancement of their technology.

07:50 But moving forward, we need to be somehow familiarized of what they do.

07:56 Because maybe what they're doing there is also being done already by other agencies.

08:00 I think the ICIT is becoming like their enabler.

08:03 So we're trying to bridge those gaps so that they can achieve more innovation.

08:09 So what are you recommending to them that this, as you said, a low-hanging fruit, what

08:15 are you recommending to them that they should do first so that they can quickly have an

08:20 impact on the other things that you are doing on a national level?

08:24 Well, in my own opinion, they need to revisit the foundation of technology that they have.

08:29 Because we discovered a lot of...

08:31 Are you talking about operating system or hardware or all of the above?

08:35 Both.

08:36 Both.

08:37 Both hardware, peopleware, and software.

08:39 Okay.

08:40 So these are the three vital things to fix if you would like to have your solid innovation.

08:45 Number one, you need to have hardware that could support your operation.

08:50 You cannot use an old, old hardware and implement things, new things.

08:54 Software, you need to take a look at do you need to replace your system already or do

08:58 you need to enhance it?

09:00 And then lastly, peopleware.

09:02 Normally we neglect this, the peopleware.

09:04 Normally we focus more on hardware and software, but we forgot peopleware is actually the one

09:10 that will sustain both of them.

09:12 And in my own observation, government agencies somehow, not neglect, maybe if I may say,

09:19 wasn't able to finance that.

09:20 Sure.

09:21 Okay, that's why I've been encouraging government agency to make sure that you have budget for

09:25 your own peopleware.

09:26 Right.

09:27 So that you can sustain your operation.

09:29 You need to hire more people.

09:30 Right.

09:31 You need new blood, new highly technical people.

09:33 Right.

09:34 To help them develop and implement things in their own respective agencies.

09:39 Yeah.

09:40 How do you do that for some of the farther or more remote areas where maybe the availability

09:46 of talent is not as, you know, not like what you would see, say, in Metro Manila or Metro

09:53 Cebu or Metro Davao, right?

09:57 Are there talent available to work in some of those far-flung areas?

10:01 Personally, I don't really believe that we're out of talents.

10:04 We have a lot of very good Filipino talents.

10:06 You're not concerned about that?

10:08 The only concern is every time a certain IT guy finish school, the first thing in their

10:14 mind, like me before, I want to go abroad.

10:17 Right.

10:18 If the government were able to change that culture, make not only IT profession, maybe

10:24 all other profession in the government, if we're able to somehow tantamount to the salary

10:29 or compensation, okay, equal maybe to the private, now we can entice them to stay in

10:36 the government.

10:37 Right.

10:38 Because right now, it's not actually attractive.

10:39 Okay.

10:40 So maybe that's one of the biggest challenge in terms of innovation in the government per

10:45 se.

10:46 Well, you know very well what the situation is, but how big is the gap between what the

10:50 government is offering and what they can possibly get working for the private sector?

10:56 Is it something that's realistic for government to do something about it now or do they have

11:01 to, like you said, with the rollout of the ELGU and E-Report, they have to do it in phases

11:07 over maybe several years.

11:10 Give us maybe an assessment of how big that is.

11:14 It depends on our support as well.

11:18 Okay.

11:19 We need also finance to roll this one out.

11:20 We need to hire more people.

11:22 Okay.

11:23 We need to have contractors also to help us out moving forward.

11:26 Okay.

11:27 Because in the ICT, personally, right now, I don't have contractors right now.

11:30 We do everything in-house.

11:31 Right.

11:32 Yeah, we develop the super app, okay, in-house.

11:34 We develop the ELGU in-house.

11:36 And how many people are in your team?

11:37 Right now, I have around 200 people in government.

11:40 Right.

11:41 So we have around-

11:42 Not very many considering the scale of work you have to do, right?

11:46 I'm lucky enough that a lot of my good friends from the private, they join me.

11:50 So they're willing to sacrifice with me.

11:52 So I am glad and I'm very blessed that I have a lot of patriotic IT that they're willing

12:00 to drop their high salary in the private to join me as well in the government.

12:04 You see, but it might not be a long-term one.

12:08 Right.

12:09 That's why we've been fighting and we've been battling that hopefully, hopefully in the

12:14 future we have more budget in terms of manpower to sustain them.

12:18 So that bill under Senator Cayetano, is that part of the solution?

12:23 Yes.

12:24 So hopefully they're listening.

12:25 So we'll be right back with Business and Politics.

12:30 I'm Robert Giles, Jr.

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DICT digitization bridges communication gaps within gov’t | Business and Politics

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