SCIENCE

Oracle Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Red Hat, Inc. through its local distributor Touch Solutions Inc., and the National Computer Center (NCC) jointly launched today the first e-governance Center of Excellence (CoE) in the Philippines. Located at the NCDD building in Quezon city, the center aims to empower the national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units by providing access to information technology (IT) and showcasing global best practices for e-governance. The e-Governance Center of Excellence offers services such as technical consultation, proof of concept, and thematic presentations. It is expected to generate keen interest amongst decision-makers in NGAs and LGUs who are embarking on or implementing e-governance projects. Some projects earmarked for development are in the areas of citizen services, e-procurement, collaboration, and industry-specific solutions, among others. The center will also showcase e-government architecture, with particular emphasis on open technology systems and standards. “The e-Governance Center of Excellence is a very timely and apt endeavor, which will help the government acquire industry-leading information and communications technology (ICT) skills and solutions at a lower cost. This will allow governments to provide faster and more efficient public services,” said Timoteo Diaz de Rivera, director general of the National Computer Center. Additionally, the center will provide software architecture and solutions, hardware, training, and support and consultancy services to government agencies. This will enable the public sector to minimize the costs and risk associated with implementing systems to transform operational processes and enhance capabilities for e-governance. “Governments across the globe are transforming themselves in order to meet increasing public demands, legislative mandates, as well as economic and political pressures to become more responsive, efficient, and accountable,” said Yashi Kant, managing director of Oracle Philippines. “ICT is being used increasingly as a tool to enable more effective and efficient processes in governments, and to provide citizens with better access to their services.” Being the first e-governance center for Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and their partners in Southeast Asia, the CoE in the Philippines will serve as a model and hub for future Centers of Excellence in the region’s emerging growth markets, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. “We are at the point where coexistence and collaboration have become key elements in shaping a nation’s future. Today, more than ever before, IT players must look beyond traditional markets and work together to seed and use technology for the common good.” said Nilo Cruz, president of Hewlett-Packard Philippines. “We expect that the e-Governance Center of Excellence will not be just a vital asset to the Philippine government’s IT agenda, but that it will provide us the opportunity to showcase our world-class offerings.” “Red Hat has been at the forefront of providing open source solutions to governments worldwide. We are very excited that Red Hat is a key partner in the e-Governance Center of Excellence as this project will allow local governments units to reach out to more citizens through diverse forms of communications,” said Anson Uy, president of Touch Solutions, a distributor of Red Hat. Diaz de Rivera added, “This collaborative effort between the private sector and the government is a truly commendable effort that we must support. Both parties are pooling their resources and manpower to improve the way we do public service and put us on par with leading governments around the world. We hope this will spur similar alliances and cooperation that will benefit the public and help us reach our goals of becoming a strong republic.”