Summary of Discussions and Action Points:

DOST:

• Ms. Bettina Quimson, DOST, reported that NICTAC is organizing private-driven projects that create technical study groups in ICT priority areas such as cyber-security, national broadband plan, cloud computing, data privacy, public finance and ICT procurement, ICT education, and ICT policies.
•  NICTAC, with USAID assistance, plans to build across the country some 580 communications centers which will make use of millennium laptops with pre-installed content.
•  Mr. Bud Melchor, DOST, reported on the DOST’s Smarter Philippines Program, which supports the President’s inclusive growth agenda:

1.  Smarter Cities Project: “Importance of Science and Technology in Higher Education” in mid-2015 in Cebu – ECCP to find out how we can contribute
2. Smarter Healthcare program in partnership with the Department of Health and PhilHealth – ECCP to establish a link to the pharmaceutical industry
3. Smarter Economies and Industries

•  Mr. Melchor recognized the ECCP as a strategic partner in realizing relevant programs of the DOST. It is essential that ECCP lives up to this partnership; important is a dialogue between DOST, EU Delegation and ECCP.

Creative industries

• Mr. Schumacher referred to the signing of the Philippine Design Competitiveness Act of 2013 and the creation of the Design Center of the Philippines as significant developments. Actions undertaken by the Design Center after the IRR are completed should be reported in the next Committee meeting.
• Mr. Sabado commented that creating a linkage between companies and freelance artists/designers proves difficult and pointed out the importance of tapping creative networks or design groups. Ms. Mendoza from KMC MAG offered to help Mr. Sabado connect with design groups.

Energy Efficiency

•  Mr. Schumacher said that, following PEZA-Meralco discussions, PEZA-registered business process management companies should have their own Meralco meters and be entitled to 12-percent VAT exemption and night differential.
• Mr. Schumacher also reported that ECCP jointly with CCAP is set to conduct an energy efficiency survey on BPM companies in energy-efficient buildings vs. companies in non-energy-efficient buildings. The output will hopefully provide enough evidence to obtain the envisaged ‘ordinances’.

Industry promotion trips to Europe

• Mr. Schumacher said it is important for the ICT-BPM-KPO-Creative industries to know how to present themselves in Europe by 2014 through industry promotion events. He identified the United Kingdom, German-speaking countries, and Nordic countries as potential areas to visit. Some of the European trade promotion events mentioned were: gamescon (Cologne, 13 – 17 August 2014), CeBIT (Hannover, 10 – 14 March 2014), and Hannover Messe (Hannover, 7 to 11 April 2014). Cedfit in Cebu has to be involved in the planning.
• Mr. Schumacher said that the SEBSEAM project to be launched in 2014 can be a platform for the Philippines to present itself in leading trade fairs in Europe and vice versa.
   

Apprenticeship

•  Mr. Sabado reported that the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce of the Philippines attended a recent House public hearing on three bills on apprenticeship and submitted its position paper to the House Committee Chair on Labor. He also talked about the ECCP survey that intends to identify the skills required by different industries in the coming years.