NATIONAL

ICT ECOSYSTEM
FRAMEWORK
© 2019 Department of Information and Communications Technology

All rights reserved. Any part of this publication may be used and reproduced,
provided proper acknowledgement is made.

National ICT Ecosystem Framework

Department of Information and Communications Technology

Republic of the Philippines
C.P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1101
Telephone: (+632) 920 0101
Email address: [email protected]
www.ictecosystem.org.ph
www.dict.gov.ph

Cover Image by Freepik

Photos (Except DICT Building) by Dennis Conopio, Johnnino Mediran and Benjz Gerard Sevilla
 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK i

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Department acknowledges the contribution of Internet Society

- Asia Pacific Bureau in the co-development of this framework as well
as our valuable development partners from government agencies,
private industries, professional and civil society organizations, and
academe and research institutions, among others:

American Chamber of Commerce Democracy.NET.ph

Asia Pacific Network Information Center Department of Agriculture
Ateneo de Manila University Department of Budget and Management
Ateneo Innovation Center Department of Energy
Ateneo School of Government Department of Environment and Natural Re-
sources
Ateneo School of Law Department of Finance
Ateneo University Data Protection Office Department of Interior and Local Government
B612 Design Department of Justice
Bandwidth and Signal Statistics Department of Labor and Employment
Beacon Solutions, Inc. Department of Public Works and Highways
Bureau of Fire Protection Department of Tourism
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Department of Trade and Industry
Chief Information Officers Forum Inc. Department of Transportation
Climate Reality Project DOST - Electronics Product
Development Center
Commission on Filipinos Overseas DOST – Advanced Science and Technology
Institute
Commission on Higher Education DOST – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy
and Emerging Technology Research
and Development
Converge ICT dotPH
Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating EdukasyonPH
Center
Cybersecurity Philippines Cert Enzo
De La Salle University Export Development Council
College of Computer Studies
ii NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Export Development Council NewsBytes.PH

Facebook APAC – Privacy and Public Policy Nielsen
Far Eastern University Office of the Civil Defense – DND
Federation of International Cable T.V. Associa- Office of the Civil Defense – NDRRMC
tion of the Philippines
Fire Eye Philippine Association of Government
Electronics Engineers
Foundation for Media Alternatives Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications
Operators
Future Agenda Philippine Computer Emergency Response
Team
Globe Telecom Philippine Development Foundation
Hapinoy Philippine Institute for Development Studies
Healthcare Information Management Philippine National Police
Outsourcing Association of the Philippines
Huawei Technologies Co. Philippine Network Operators Group
Iloilo Federation for Information Technology Philippine Society of IT Educators
Institute of Electronics Engineers Philippine Statistics Authority
of the Philippines
Internet Society Philippines SAP Software and Solutions
Ionics EMS Inc. Securities Exchange Commission
IT and Business Process Association Smart Communications, Inc.
Philippines
Kalibrr Social Security System
Land Transportation Franchising Spark Philippines
and Regulatory Board
League of Provinces of the Philippines STI College
Mapua Institute of Technology Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority
MarkLogic TXTPower
Microsoft Corporation Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines
MVSofTech United Nations Development Programme
National Bureau of Investigation UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Institute
National Economic Development Authority UP Manila College of Medicine
National ICT Confederation of the Philippines USAID STRIDE Program
National Privacy Commission Various Local Government Units
National Telecommunications Commission Virtual Workforce
NEC Philippines ZTE Philippines, Inc.
NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK iii

MESSAGE FROM
THE PRESIDENT

My warmest greetings to the Department of Information and

Communications Technology as it launches the National ICT Ecosystem
Framework (NICTEF).

Our country’s progress is built upon a robust communication infrastructure

system that integrates our economy and empowers communities across
the archipelago. This groundwork maximizes the potential of information
and communications technology (ICT) in fostering the development of our
digital economy.

I welcome the NICTEF as it becomes the pioneer ICT initiative to synergize

our diverse industries and operationalize emerging technologies. I trust
that this framework will make industry development inclusive, create more
jobs, empower the marginalized, promote transparency and accountability
in government and bolster confidence in our economy.

I ask the business community, civil society and other stakeholders to join
us in our efforts to fully implement the National ICT Ecosystem Framework
so we may bring the integrative benefits of digital transformation
to our people. I trust that you will uphold excellence, innovation and
competitiveness as we strive for a brighter future for every Filipino.

I wish you a successful implementation of the NICTEF.

RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

PRESIDENT
Republic of the Philippines
iv NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

MESSAGE FROM
THE SECRETARY

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is

in pursuit of an innovative digital economy that incentivizes progressive
government transformation, sustained industry growth and dynamic
people empowerment.

As an update to the Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS) 2011-2016, the National

ICT Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF) harnesses emerging technological
breakthroughs for improved public links, enhanced digital inclusion and
accelerated economic growth by enriching various interactions as an
ecosystem of integrated, interoperable and interconnected systems.

Through the NICTEF, the Philippines will be able to leverage key information
and communications technology (ICT) trends in the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (FIRe) while building infrastructure assets, promoting content
development, and achieving prosperity for all - ensuring the realization of
the Philippines’ long-term vision called AmBisyon Nation 2040.

The conceptualization, formulation and crafting of NICTEF linchpins on

a multi-stakeholder governance model towards an inclusive innovation
perspective. Contextually relevant to the thrusts of the ASEAN ICT
Masterplan (AIM) 2020, the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, and
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), NICTEF is aimed at establishing
a thriving, trusted and transformative knowledge society. The Framework
is likewise poised to maximize the benefits of open governance, magnify
the advantages of industry applications and multiply the opportunities of
skills development.

The DICT’s several plans, projects and programs make up the pieces of the
puzzle that NICTEF intends to put together. This approach allows different
actors to interact in synergy, designed for raising the country’s rankings
in terms of ICT use, adoption and development, while narrowing the digital
divide. With NICTEF, the country rallies itself to be a digitally-empowered
nation, continually transforming to foster growth in the digital economy.

E L I S E O M . R I O, J R .
ACTING SECRETARY
Department of Information and Communications Technology
NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK v

MESSAGE FROM
THE NATIONAL
PRIVACY COMMISION

Congratulations to the Department of Information and Communications

Technology on the successful launch of the country’s National ICT
Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF), the authoritative reference of the
Philippine ICT landscape.

The NICTEF will provide the national ICT development agenda and serve as
a blueprint for the harmonization and coordination of national ICT plans,
programs, and projects. This framework holds utmost significance in the
safe and secure delivery of goods and services in this data driven economy.

However, rapid advancement of technology does not come without risks

due to increasing use and value of personal information. The growing
complexity of ICT systems which involve personal information making it
challenging for organizations to ensure privacy.

Data privacy requires the protection and preservation of the rights of

the data subjects, as well as organizations’ adherence to data privacy
principles. With NICTEF, it is ensured that privacy is integrated into the
national ICT ecosystem.

We laud this initiative of the DICT which will foster a sustainable and
resilient technological society that will improve the quality of life for our
country’s citizens and residents.

To our DICT family, the National Privacy Commission is one with you in
envisioning a future where the Philippines is a technological frontrunner
in the global community.

Very truly yours,

RAYMUND ENRIQUEZ LIBORO

PRIVACY COMMISSIONER AND CHAIRMAN
National Privacy Commission
vi NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

MESSAGE FROM
THE INTERNET SOCIETY

I would like to congratulate the Department of Information and

Communications Technology (DICT) of the Republic of the Philippines for
its efforts in the development of the National ICT Ecosystem Framework
(NICTEF).

The DICT’s commitment to following the multi-stakeholder model in the

development of NICTEF is an exemplary approach that is a best practice
for other countries to embrace.

Just as the Internet is open, interconnected and transnational, the

multi-stakeholder approach gathers individuals and organizations from
different sectors to share thoughts and ideas that contribute to policy
development. This collaborative process encourages inclusivity and a wide
variety of inputs that produce well informed outputs. This in turn helps
with effective implementation.

The ICT environment in particular is highly dynamic, and constantly

evolving. Specific issues affecting different stakeholders can only be
addressed by a collaborative approach. The benefits of this approach are
evident in how NICTEF has been shaped.

As the world rapidly embraces digital transformation, NICTEF will guide the
development of the Philippine digital ecosystem and lay the foundation for
all sectors to benefit from the use of ICTs.

ICTs—and the Internet—today connects systems, processes and most

importantly, people across all walks of life. The adoption and implementation
of NICTEF will help maximize the opportunities ICTs and the Internet
provide for socio-economic development and go some way to improving
the lives of people all across the Philippines.

R A J N E S H D. S I N G H
CHIEF REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL BUREAU
Internet Society
 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgementi
Message from the President iii
Message from the Secretary iv
Message from the National Privacy Commission v
Message from the Internet Society vi

Executive Summary 1

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the NICTEF 9

1.1 Background  9
1.2 The National ICT Development Agenda  10
1.3 The National ICT Ecosystem Framework  11
1.4 Values, Vision and Mission Statement  12
1.5 Framework Elements  13

CHAPTER 2: Submission Process 17

CHAPTER 3: Methodology 19
3.1 Background and Rationale  19
3.2 Continuing Multistakeholder Engagement
and Evoultion of the NICTEF 22

CHAPTER 4: Strategic Trends in the ICT Ecosystem 25
4.1 Fourth Industrial Revolution  28
4.2 Artificial Intelligence  29
4.3 Big Data  32
4.4 Cloud Computing  34
4.5 Internet of Things  35
4.6 Blockchain  37
4.7 5G Networks 39
4.8 Smart Cities  40
4.9 Intelligent Transport  41
viii NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

4.10 Fintech  43
4.11 Health Informatics  45
4.12 Cyber Resilience  46
4.13 Future Skills  48
4.14 Capacity Building  49

CHAPTER 5: Strategic Thrusts 53

5.1 Participatory e-Governance  54
5.2 Industry and Countryside Development  56
5.3 Resource Sharing and Capacity Building Through ICT  58
5.4 Improved Public Links and Connectivity  60
5.5 ICT User Protection and Information Security  63
5.6 Enabling and Sustainable ICT Environment  65

CHAPTER 6: Strategic Indicators 71

6.1 Network Readiness Index (World Economic Forum) 72
6.2 ICT Development Index
(International Telecommunications Union) 77
6.3 Digital Adoption Index (World Bank) 81
6.4 Freedom on the Net Index (Freedom House)  84
6.5 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking
(IMD World Competitiveness Center) 87
6.6 Affordability Drivers Index
(Alliance for Affordable Internet 89
6.7 Inclusive Internet Index (Economist Intelligence Unit)  92
6.8 e-Government Development Index (United Nations) 96

CHAPTER 7: Moving Forward 99

7.1 Periodical Update Process 99
7.2 Website 100
7.3 Advocacy Campaigns 101
7.4 Key Audiences for Advocacy Campaigns  102

APPENDIX A: Project Profiles A–1

APPENDIX B: Projects Proposed for Inclusion B–1
APPENDIX C: Submission Form C–1
APPENDIX D: Multi Stakeholder Activities D–1
 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK ix

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1. National ICT Ecosystem Framework Vision 3

Figure 2. The Five Framework Elements 15
Figure 3. Performace Overview of the Philippines in the NRI  76

Table 4.1. Relevant ICT Trends of Key ICT Projects 26

Table 5.1. Key Projects on Participatory E-Governance
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 55
Table 5.2. Key Projects on Industry and Countryside Development
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 57
Table 5.3. Key Projects on Resource Sharing and Capacity Building
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 60
Table 5.4 Key Projects on Improved Public Links and Connectivity
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 62
Table 5.5. Key Projects on ICT User Protection and Information Security
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 64
Table 5.6. Key Projects on Enabling and Sustainable ICT Environment
and Their Impact on the Framework Elements 67
Table 6.1. Ecosystem-level Indicators 72
Table 6.2. Pillars of Networked Readiness Index 73
Table 6.3. ASEAN Countries' Network Readiness Ranking and Rating, 2016 75
Table 6.4. Weights of ICT Development 78
Table 6.5. ASEAN Countries' IDI Ranking and Rating for the Year 2017 80
Table 6.6. ASEAN Countries Digital Adoption Index 84
Table 6.7. ASEAN Countries' Freedom on the Net Rating, 2018 86
Table 6.8. Factors of the World Digital Competitiveness Index 87
Table 6.9. ASEAN Countries' WDC Ranking for Overall, Knowledge,
Technology, and Future Readiness, 2018 88
Table 6.10. Affordability Drivers Index, Infrastructure Sub-index,
Data Sources and Description 90
Table 6.11. Affordability Drivers Index, Access Sub-index,
Data Sources and Description 91
Table 6.12. ASEAN Countries' Accessibility Drivers Index, 2018 92
Table 6.13. Inclusive Internet Index Category Weights 94
Table 6.14. ASEAN Countries' Inclusive Internet Index Overall Rankings, 2018 95
Table 6.15. ASEAN Countries' e-Government Development Index,
Rankings and Ratings, 2018 97
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have brought
tremendous developmental benefits to the Philippine society. Yet, the
nation is painfully aware that these benefits are unevenly distributed,
and may in fact have led to growth that has not been inclusive to a
certain extent.

Many thought it would be a simple exercise to bridge the digital divide.

We recall that in 1982, in an unprecedented move, Time Magazine
selected the “Person of the Year” to be a non-human – the personal
computer; hence, it was called “Machine of the Year.” In the Philippines,
projects such as the “Personal Computers for Public Schools” of the
Department of Trade and Industry are aimed at increasing the exposure
of Filipinos to computing devices. However, with the advent of the
internet, computer hands-on experience was no longer sufficient –
one needed access to broadband networks and to relevant content.

With the dawning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by the

rapid pace of technological changes transforming economic and social
systems, digital divide continues to grow wider at an even faster rate.
2 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

This revolution appears to be intensifying inequalities among

communities that have the broadband infrastructure, resources and
knowledge to reap the benefits of these intelligent technologies,
leaving others further behind.

In order to bridge this diverse and growing digital divide, a multitude

of approaches is needed. For some communities, there is a necessity
to work on developing the attitude and aptitude of the society. In
other areas, while there are passionate and educated users, they
are unable to afford access. On the other hand, some communities
may have educated users as well as affordable online access, yet the
content that they need is not available. Thus, there is a need to take
a multi-stakeholder approach in addressing the digital divide. It takes
an ecosystem to make such an approach work, as no single player can
address all possible facets of the digital divide: (i) Inadequate Skills
and Mismatch of Competencies ; (ii) High Cost of Access and Devices;
(iii) Disaggregated Platforms (Apps/Services, Data/Content); (iv)
Lack of Infostructure; and (v) Outdated Standards, Regulations, and
Policies.

To address these, the Department of Information and Communications

Technology (DICT), being the primary policy, planning, coordinating,
implementing, and administrative entity of the Executive Branch of
the Philippine government that will plan, develop, and promote the
national ICT development agenda, seeks not only to more substantively
engage and provide for meaningful participation by a more diverse
array of stakeholders, but also to foster inclusive, bottom-up
initiatives by encouraging the stakeholders themselves to set the
agenda, projects, and goals of the nation’s new digital strategy. The
National ICT Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF) is envisioned as a ‘living
document,’ contributory to the realization of an equitable, inclusive,
and sustainable development for the nation, with ongoing reviews
and updates driven by inputs from stakeholders. Figure 1 shows a
summary of the NICTEF vision including the enablers and strategies
to achieve it.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

Government, businesses, and civil society organizations have

interdependent roles to play in this ecosystem. While it may not be
possible to include all stakeholders in the process, the more inclusive
and transparent the process is, then the more likely it is to produce
workable outcomes and to engender the requisite trust and support
of those outside the process, furthering dynamic and participatory
e-governance.

FIGURE 1. THE NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM

FRAMEWORK VISION
4 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

In Chapter 1: Introduction to the NICTEF, the values and vision

statement of the ICT Ecosystem are set out: “We belong to an ICT
ecosystem that values innovation, sustainability, inclusiveness,
adaptiveness and happiness. Empowered and inspired by the strategic
trends in our robust ICT ecosystem, we envision equitable, inclusive,
and sustainable development in our society, and improved quality of
life for our country’s citizens and residents.”

In order for this vision to be achieved, it is not enough to just focus

on one or two elements of the ecosystem. The NICTEF will therefore
assist in determining whether the national ICT development agenda is
properly balanced in addressing the previously enumerated elements
of the ecosystem framework.

In Chapter 2: Submission Process, we describe the process for

submitting projects to be included in the NICTEF. As mentioned above,
it is important that all five elements of the framework are cohesively
developed, so that if there are “gaps” identified, project proponents
may then be encouraged to submit appropriate “gap-closing” projects
for inclusion in the ICT Ecosystem Framework.

In Chapter 3: Methodology, we outline the multistakeholder approach

that was used in developing the NICTEF. We also emphasize the
importance of pursuing this approach going forward, as government,
business, and civil society each has a role to play in this ecosystem.

In Chapter 4: Strategic Trends in the ICT Ecosystem, we identify

the key drivers which may serve as enablers to accelerate the journey
towards fulfilling the vision. As of today, these include technological
advancements such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, fintech, and
many others. Based on the current project inventory, there are six (6)
projects that include artificial intelligence as an enabler, four (4) that
involve blockchain, and (2) that have fintech as a component.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

As new projects are added to the NICTEF, these numbers will continue
to rise. In addition, when new trends are identified, this chapter can
be updated to reflect the evolving nature of the ecosystem.

In Chapter 5: Strategic Thrusts, we lay out the strategic thrusts

which will be promoted by NICTEF in order to achieve its vision. In
this chapter, we also list down the plans, programs and projects
(collectively referred to as the “projects”) classified according to
the strategic thrust which they are focused on and the framework
elements they have impact on. The strategic thrusts include:

Participatory e-Governance which expedites greater efficiency in

improved public service delivery, transparency and accountability;

Industry and Countryside Development which promotes for a more

efficient and thriving Philippine commerce and bringing ICT to the
countryside;

Resource Sharing and Capacity Building Through ICT which optimizes

ICT to its fullest potential in various niches and promoting digital
literacy;

Improved Public Links and Connectivity which will ensure equal access
to broadband services;

ICT User Protection and Information Security which encompasses

making sure that the entities, systems and processes involved are
able to exchange ICT information in a safe and secure ICT environment;
and

Enabling and Sustainable ICT Environment which focuses on reducing

the digital divide between gender groups and ensure that the benefits
of ICT are evenly accessible to all and to combat environmental issues
and to aid in promoting a sustainable development.
6 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

In Chapter 6: Strategic Indicators, we explore several indicators from

well-respected global institutions which we intend to use to measure
the progress of the entire ICT ecosystem. To date, we have included
the following (and others may still be added in the future):

Network Readiness Index (World Economic Forum),

ICT Development Index (International Telecommunications Union),

Digital Adoption Index (World Bank),

Freedom on the Net Index (Freedom House),

World Digital Competitiveness (IMD World Competitiveness Center),

Affordability Drivers Index (Alliance for Affordable Internet),

Inclusive Internet Index (Economist Intelligence Unit), and

E-Government Development (United Nations).

Finally, in Chapter 7: Moving Forward, we present the actions that

have been identified to disseminate the NICTEF and to ensure that
the multistakeholder approach continues to serve as a guiding force.
Furthermore, we outline the manner in which the NICTEF is envisioned
to be updated on an annual basis, so that it truly is a “living document”.
 INTRODUCTION TO THE NICTEF 9

INTRODUCTION
TO THE NICTEF
1.1 BACKGROUND

On 23 May 2016, Republic Act No. 10844, the “Department of Information

and Communications Technology Act of 2015” was signed into
law. Accordingly, the law states that the Department of ICT (DICT)
shall henceforth be “the primary policy, planning, coordinating,
implementing, and administrative entity of the Executive Branch of
the government that will plan, develop, and promote the national ICT
development agenda."

Consistent with mandate of the Department to “harmonize and

coordinate all national ICT plans and initiatives,” the DICT hereby
promulgates the National ICT Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF) in order
to promote the national ICT development agenda, and to serve as a
blueprint for the harmonization and coordination of national ICT plans,
programs, and projects.
10 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

1.2 THE NATIONAL ICT DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Prior to the DICT’s establishment, the role of ICT in nation building has
been championed by several other, some predecessor, government
agencies and instrumentalities:

From 1992 to 1998, the “National Information Technology Plan for

the 21st Century” was made mainstream by the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI), and the National Computer Center (NCC). The plan
envisioned the Philippines to be “a newly industrialized country” and
“Asia’s Knowledge Centre."

From 1998 to 2004, the “e-Philippines Strategy” and the “Government

Information Systems Plan” were respectively advocated by the
Information Technology and e-Commerce Council (ITECC) and the
NCC. The former had a vision of “an electronically enabled society”
while the latter envisaged to “harness the full potential of ICT to
ensure wider public access to information and the faster and more
efficient delivery of government services.”

From 2006 to 2010, the “Philippine Strategic ICT Roadmap” was

developed by the Commission on Information and Communications
Technology (CICT). It sought to achieve the vision of “empowering the
nation through ICT.”

From 2011 to 2016, the “Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS)” was

championed by the Information and Communications Technology
Office (ICTO) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The PDS had a vision of “a digitally empowered, innovative, globally
competitive and prosperous society.”
 INTRODUCTION TO THE NICTEF 11

In light of all these, the nation strives to recognize the opportunities

and the challenges of emerging technologies. While there had been
numerous improvements and ongoing innovations in ICT, there still
remains a huge part of the local populace that is not fully aware and is
unable to enjoy its benefits. NICTEF builds on all of these strategies in
unifying digital services and paving the way for a future-ready nation.

1.3 THE NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM

FRAMEWORK (NICTEF)

The government’s linchpin role in embracing innovation builds upon

ICT as the currency of the digital economy. And for this objective, the
NICTEF will be an authoritative reference source, as well as a living
document that shall be updated periodically with the latest plans,
programs and projects, including recent indicators, accomplishments,
outcomes and results.

The NICTEF also contextualizes strategies in light of connectivity

masterplans and best practices to benchmark the pace of development
within the region and identify trends and timelines to promote a
holistic approach to the adoption of the ecosystem paradigm. The
framework provides avenues to synchronize policy formulation,
evolution of technology, and regulatory regimes to pave the ground for
ICT inclusion in various government processes, and society in general.
Centers of excellence and sectoral champions are identified to lead
industry growth through compliance with global standards.

To synergize diverse industries and manage ICT for convergent

platforms, it is high time that the Philippines adopt the NICTEF
building upon its predecessor, the Philippine Digital Strategy
(PDS) 2011-2016, as a complementary planning tool in fostering the
development of a digital economy. It is with this sense of confidence
that the administration advocates for trailblazing multi-disciplinary
12 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

innovation, operationalizing emerging technologies, and updating

the ICT diaspora nationwide.

Taken together, the application of ICT in public administration,

business management and participatory democracy is aimed into
making the lives of the Filipinos more comfortable. With NICTEF,
ICT as a tool shall empower the poor and marginalized, push for
improved transparency and accountability in government and bolster
confidence in our economy. We intend to make industry development
inclusive, especially in the countryside, creating more jobs, making
communities more resilient and putting in greater trust in society.

As the Philippines positions itself as a stronghold of innovation, the

nation builds upon the experience of the multi-stakeholder process
involving government, businesses, civil society and other sectors of
the digital community, in harnessing their energies into bringing the
integrative benefits of the digital economy to all citizens.

The following sections lay out the elements in the ICT ecosystem
and the desired end state (Values, Vision and Mission Statement,
Framework Elements).

1.4 VALUES, VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT

V A L U E S We belong to an ICT ecosystem that values innovation, sustainability,

inclusiveness, adaptiveness and happiness.

V I S I O N Empowered and inspired by the strategic trends in our robust

ICT ecosystem, we envision equitable, inclusive, and sustainable
development in our society, and improved quality of life for our
country’s citizens and residents.
 INTRODUCTION TO THE NICTEF 13

MISSION We will achieve this by providing information and communication

technologies that can be safely and securely used in digitally
transforming the delivery of goods and services, researching and
enabling ICT-driven innovations, fostering responsive and creative
industries, and catalyzing participative communities of future-ready
citizens and residents.

1.5 FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

ICT is a game-changer, transforming the way people do things. Today,

cities are dynamic societies powered by innovation and driven by
knowledge. With this, the Department recognizes the challenges
and opportunities that make up the framework elements. Indeed,
as policy makers, industry champions and sector regulators, the
government’s role ranges from establishing integrated infostructures
for connectivity and access, to promulgating rules that safeguard the
interest of the public, while at the same time promoting ICT ecosystem
development. At its core, the fundamental understanding of the critical
role of the following elements is necessary in addressing increased
demand for new jobs, socially established valuation metrics and
updated industry policies. The National ICT Ecosystem is comprised of
several interdependent framework elements:

Human Capital: Talents and Skills – the individuals who access the
applications, services, content and data that are provided by the
players in the ICT ecosystem.

Affordable Access and Devices – the interfaces through which humans

access the applications, services, content and data – these may
include wearable devices, cellphones, laptops, desktop computers,
internet cafes, and other similar devices or venues.
14 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Platforms (Apps/Services and Content/Data) – these are the solutions

(or portions of a solution) which are accessed by users in the ecosystem
in order to achieve equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development
in our society, and potentially to improve their quality of life.

Infostructure/Infrastructure – these are the physical and logical

components which collectively perform the function of providing
secure connectivity between the users, their devices, and the platform
which they are accessing.

Standards, Regulations and Policies – these provide the boundaries

which will allow for the players and elements within the ecosystem to
safely and productively inter-connect and inter-operate.

Indeed, the plans, programs and projects in NICTEF shall build

economies of scale and scope while anchored on the innovations
brought about by cross-cutting application of ICT in various sectors
of society. Global best practices are then needed to be localized to
fit consumer demands peculiar to a demographic region, such as the
emergence of the latest wireless technologies. It is then imperative
for us to have a benchmark understanding of the implications of
policies governing the framework elements, harmonization of various
services, and availability of new applications.

In order for the vision and mission to be achieved, it is imperative

that all of these framework elements be cohesively developed. It is
not enough to just focus on one or two elements of the ecosystem.
For example, some individuals may have the means and opportunity
to access the internet but may not have the ability to use the content
and services provided to them. In a different part of the country, users
may be hungry for content on increasing agriculture productivity
but may not have an affordable and reliable means of accessing the
appropriate platforms.
 INTRODUCTION TO THE NICTEF 15

Enjoining the stakeholders is key to realizing the vision of a shared

understanding on ICT ecosystem development with emphasis on
bridging the digital divide. This is most apparent in promoting
innovative interventions through policy and regulation addressing
society’s technology gaps and inequalities. The NICTEF will therefore
assist in determining whether the national ICT development agenda is
adequately addressed by embracing adaptive trends and strategies
that are enabled by the five framework elements of the national ICT
ecosystem.

FIGURE 2. THE FIVE FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

HUMAN CAPITAL

ACCESS AND DEVICES PLATFORMS

INFoSTRUCTURE/INFraSTRUCTURE

STANDARDS, REGULATIONS
AND POLICIES
 SUBMISSION PROCESS 17

SUBMISSION
PROCESS
The National ICT Planning, Policy and Standards Bureau (NIPPSB) of
the DICT, responsible for the formulation of government-wide policies,
plans, programs, and standards on ICT matters, will accept submission
of project profiles from government agencies, private sector
companies, and civil society organizations. Inclusion in the NICTEF will
provide greater visibility for the project proponents, which may assist
in promoting the project to a wider audience of potential partners,
funders, customers and beneficiaries.

Inclusion in the NICTEF will also enable the DICT to provide recognition
of diverse efforts within the ecosystem, and to harmonize such
efforts in order to avoid unnecessary overlaps. Finally, the NICTEF
project profiles will help the DICT to analyze if all strategic thrusts and
framework elements are covered, or if not, to identify where gaps exist
so that resources may be properly allocated. This allows the DICT to
ensure that the NICTEF continues to be responsive to the trends, and
relevant to the needs, of the ecosystem, and that the projects in the
NICTEF are aligned with the aforementioned values, vision, and mission
statements.

Submissions will be screened by the CIO Council (RA No. 10844, Section
13, Chief Information Officer Council) and the Sectoral and Industry
Task Force (RA No. 10844, Section 14, Sectoral and Industry Task Forces).
An additional source of project submissions related to ICT may also
be sourced from the National Economic Development Authority, the
government agency tasked with monitoring and coordinating projects
for the Philippine Development Plan 2016-2022.

Please refer to Appendix C for a sample submission form. A downloadable

version of this form will be made available on the NICTEF website.
 METHODOLOGY 19

METHODOLOGY
3.1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

The Philippines has had a history and extensive practice of public

consultations. For government agencies, these are often mandated
by law as in, for example, the Public Telecommunications Policy Act
RA 7925 which in Section 6 states in part that – “d.) the operation
of a national consultative forum to facilitate interaction amongst the
telecommunications industries, user groups, academic and research
institutions in the airing and resolution of important issues in the field
of communications.”

Going beyond the open public consultations that the DICT’s

predecessors utilized in crafting prior versions of the Philippine
Digital Strategy (PDS), the DICT now seeks to both deepen and widen
meaningful stakeholder engagement in its processes, particularly and
immediately for the drafting of the National ICT Ecosystem Framework
(NICTEF), for the following reasons:

ICTs particularly the Internet are now so pervasive that decisions,

strategies and policies impact a highly varied and distributed range
of people and interests;

Overlapping rights and responsibilities across sectors should be

recognized and addressed as early as possible in the process;

Need to synergize different forms of expertise, such as technical,

policy and developmental; and
20 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Constructive engagement and involvement in the policy-making and

strategy formulation process provides legitimacy and acceptance of
decisions which positively impacts subsequent implementation.

In order to adequately address these considerations, one may look to

the Internet itself. The emergence and continuing dynamic evolution
of the Internet over the decades serves as real-world proof of
concept for multistakeholder processes. As the Internet has grown
more pervasive and as it continues to affect more stakeholders and
various aspects of life, multistakeholder development and governance
processes have proven to be sufficiently adaptive and inclusive,
thereby enabling the continuing utility of the Internet and the various
applications enabled by it.

By adopting globally-recognized multistakeholder practices the DICT

endeavors to:

Maximize inclusiveness and transparency;

Foster consensus-driven outcomes and collective responsibility;

Enable effective decision-making and implementation; and

Enhance collaboration through distributed and interoperable

governance.

With the augmentation of its policy development process utilizing

multistakeholder praxis, the DICT seeks not only to more substantively
engage and provide for meaningful participation by a more diverse
array of stakeholders, but also to foster inclusive, bottom-up
initiatives by encouraging the stakeholders themselves to set the
agenda, projects, and goals of the nation’s digital strategy. And while
it may not be possible to include all stakeholders in the process, the
more inclusive and transparent the process is, then the more likely it
 METHODOLOGY 21

is to produce workable outcomes and to engender the requisite trust

and support of those outside the process. Furthering dynamic and
participatory e-governance, the NICTEF is also envisioned as a ‘living
document’, with ongoing reviews and updates driven by inputs from
stakeholders.

In this and its other developmental processes the DICT shall continue
to:

Provide a neutral space and expertise where various sectors can come
together to coordinate and collaborate, in order to work through ICT-
related issues and challenges;

Build capacity in order to provide stakeholders with the knowledge

and skills needed to participate actively and effectively in processes
towards the utilization of ICTs for nation building;

Encourage the engagement of and support from various communities

for open and inclusive multistakeholder models, processes and
practices.

In Appendix D – Multistakeholder Activities, we have described the

various stages and components in the development of the National
ICT Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF), which include (1) Preliminary
Activities, (2) Focus Group Discussions, (3) Regional Consultations,
and (4) Additional Collaboration.

The outputs from these activities will also be made available on the
NICTEF website.
22 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

3.2 CONTINUING MULTISTAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

AND EVOLUTION OF THE NICTEF

In order to ensure that the NICTEF retains its relevance and remains
attuned to both evolving developmental requirements as well as
dynamic innovation in ICTs, the DICT with its stakeholder partners
shall maintain and engage in processes that allow for ongoing inputs
to and periodic reviews of and revisions to the framework.

Thus, to further foster multistakeholder participation and

operationalize the NICTEF as a living document, the DICT will:

Setup and maintain a website to serve as a focal point for continuing

review, assessment, tracking, revision and augmentation of NICTEF
policies, plans and projects,

Conduct periodic regional engagement activities to validate and adopt

sector-specific result matrices that each sector or representative
agency has identified in the projects on-boarded to NICTEF, and

Validate and adopt measures being undertaken to leverage or improve

utilization of ICTs by the sector organizations or relevant government
agencies.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 25

STRATEGIC
TRENDS IN THE
ICT ECOSYSTEM
As they progress towards achieving the vision and mission laid out in
Chapter 1, the players in the ICT ecosystem will most probably find
themselves impacted by several trends that they will need to consider;
some of these trends may serve as enablers and accelerate their
journey, others may serve as blockers.

In keeping track with the interest of the public, plans, programs and
projects are made inclusive as they are transformed into industry
supported strategies. While there were instances that technology has
outrun policy, what makes for a viable ecosystem for innovation and
sustainable development lies on a framework of assessing strategies
for standards formulation, best practices adoption, and cooperative
communication. Our primary objective then is to map relevant ICT
trends of key ICT projects to assess its alignment with the national ICT
development agenda.
26 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 4.1. RELEVANT ICT TRENDS OF

KEY ICT PROJECTS OF THE DICT

STRATEGIC TRENDS
Artificial Intelligence

Intelligent Transport

Health Informatics
Internet of Things

Capacity Building
Cloud Computing

Cyber Resilience
Fourth Industrial

5G Networks

Smart Cities

Future Skills
Blockchain
PROJECTS/PLANS/
Big Data

Fintech
PROGRAMS*

ACE 5-Star
Compliance Program X X X
Alternative Dispute
Resolution for X
Data Privacy Complaints
AskPRIVA
(Chatbot for NPC PAID) X X X X
Cybersecurity Management
System X X X X X
Data Privacy Awareness
and Internet Safety X X X
Online Campaign
Data Privacy Breach
and Security Incident X
Reporting System
Digital Literacy
Training Project X X X X X X
Digital Terrestrial Television
Broadcasting: X X
Implementation

digitalcitiesPH X X X
E-Government
Masterplan 2022 X X X X X
Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in
Public Places Project X X X X X
Government Network X X X
* A short description of the projects is shown in Appendix A.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 27

TABLE 4.1. (CONT'D) RELEVANT ICT TRENDS OF

KEY ICT PROJECTS OF THE DICT

STRATEGIC TRENDS
Artificial Intelligence

Intelligent Transport

Health Informatics
Internet of Things

Capacity Building
Cloud Computing

Cyber Resilience
Fourth Industrial

5G Networks

Smart Cities

Future Skills
Blockchain
PROJECTS/PLANS/
Big Data

Fintech
PROGRAMS*

Government-wide
Medium-term ICT X X
Harmonization Initiative
Integrated Business Permits
and Licensing System X X
National Broadband Program X X X X X
National CyberSecurity Plan
2022 X X X X X
National Government Data
Center (NGDC) Project X
National Government Portal X X X X X
Philippine Roadmap
for 5G Technology X X X X X
Rural Impact Sourcing X X X X X
seedPH X X X X X
Spectrum Roadmap X X X X X
Stepping Up the Value Chain X X X X X
Women’s ICT Development
Index X X X
* A short description of the projects is shown in Appendix A.

In the remainder of this section, each of the trends is explored in more

detail. When new trends are identified, this chapter can be updated to
reflect the evolving nature of the ecosystem.
28 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

4.1 FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

KEYWORDS fourth industrial revolution, 4IR, industry 4.0, globalization 4.0

The first industrial revolution began with industries powered by steam

and water; in the second, electricity made mass production possible;
the third one was the digital revolution; and this fourth revolution
builds on the third but is characterized by a fusion of intelligent
technologies. These technologies, such as artificial intelligence
(AI), big data analytics, blockchain, cloud computing, Internet of
Things (IoT) and 5G networks (described below) are blurring the lines
between the physical, digital and biological spheres.1

The fourth industrial revolution is also marked by the unprecedented

pace of technological changes that is transforming economic and
social systems.

This revolution appears to be widening inequalities between advanced

economies that have the broadband infrastructure, resources and
knowledge to reap the benefits of these intelligent technologies,
while those without are left further behind. Therefore fundamentally,
accelerating the improvement of broadband availability, accessibility
and affordability is a priority.

Within economies, inequalities are also widening between

organizations and individuals with the capital and skills to harness the
opportunities of the revolution and those without. These intelligent
technologies are shifting management processes, business models,
industry structures and sectoral boundaries. There is concern about
the impact that these technologies could have on the security of
livelihoods and earning power. Past revolutions confirm that new jobs
1 Klaus Schwab, "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it means, how to
respond," World Economic Forum, 14 January 2016.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 29

are usually created, but these disruptions often occur at the expense
of lower-skilled workers who are unable to easily reskill and move into
new sectors. It will be important to track workforce implications.

The effect of these technologies on social inclusion will need to be

addressed. Policymakers will need to find ways to help those who are
left behind. Transformations are likely to involve the development of
new frameworks for national and multinational cooperation, as well
as new models of education and targeted capacity building programs
for reskilling and upskilling the workforce.

The fourth industrial revolution and the fusion of intelligent

technologies are being used to achieve the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals and other agreements and frameworks, including
the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction, especially since the Philippines is highly vulnerable
to climate change and disaster risks. It is vital that innovations
in fintech, health informatics, intelligent transport and smart
cities (described below) contribute to Philippines’ advancement
towards a sustainable, socially-inclusive and climate-resilient nation.
Furthermore, the Philippines needs to strengthen its cyber resilience
as a result of networks becoming more connected and the magnitude
of cyberthreats rises.

4.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

KEYWORDS artificial intelligence, AI, machine learning, robotics, chatbot,

deep learning

AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines,

especially computer systems. These systems can learn to make
decisions and predictions within specific contexts.
30 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

AI applications can perform a wide range of intelligent behaviors:

optimization (e.g., supply chains); pattern recognition and detection
(e.g., facial recognition, fraud detection); prediction and hypothesis
testing (e.g., predicting disease outbreaks); and natural language
processing (e.g., machine translation, spam filtering).2

There are four main components fueling the development of AI: big
data, cloud computing, IoT, and fixed and mobile broadband, including
5G networks. IoT enables the collection and exchange of data such as
biometric data, behavioral information and unstructured information
through network-connected sensors and devices that operate mostly
without human interventions. Broadband and 5G technologies enable
data transmissions to data storage locations in the cloud. Cloud
technologies also provide the computing power to run AI systems.
The collected data, known as big data, is then used by AI systems
to build up their intelligent capabilities. Each of these components
is important on its own, but when aggregated and consolidated, the
components can produce synergistic and transformative impacts,
culminating into AI applications that bring new value.3

The AI systems use various advanced forms of statistical and

mathematical models to process, learn from, and analyze the massive
amount of data to gain insights, make decisions and predictions,
or solve complex problems. Many AI systems use machine learning.
Machine learning is the process in which a computer distills regularities
from training data. For example, an AI system learns to identify spam
in emails by exposing it to many examples of emails that are manually
tagged as spam or not-spam. The AI system “learns” to identify
patterns, like occurrence of certain words or combinations of words
that determines the chance of an email being spam.

2 International Development Research Centre, "Artificial intelligence and

human development: White paper," April 2018.
3 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,
Artificial Intelligence and Broadband Divide: State of ICT Connectivity in
Asia and the Pacific 2017 (Bangkok, 2017).
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 31

AI is already enabling a wave of innovation across all sectors of the

global economy, offering possibilities for boosting economic growth
and tackling a wide variety of development challenges. Some examples
include: increasing agricultural productivity through predictive
analytics and on-the-spot diagnosis of crop diseases, analyzing
healthcare data to facilitate scientific breakthroughs, reducing waste
by predicting and identifying optimal production levels, improving
early warnings of natural disasters, and enhancing citizen and
customer services with the use of chatbots. Given the many potential
applications of AI, there are substantial entrepreneurial opportunities.
Efforts that focus on enabling enterprises to take advantage of
the potential of AI, and supporting homegrown development and
deployment of innovative AI applications for social good, will be vital.

At the same time, AI is being used to cause harm, undermine

democratic governance and conduct unethical and criminal activity.
AI is being used in cyberattacks,4 and the creation of fabricated
videos (or deepfakes) that uses a machine learning technique called
“generative adversarial network” could threaten privacy, political
unrest and national security, and lead to mistrust in major institutions
and the media. Moreover, AI presents ethical, legal and accountability
issues that need to be addressed. For instance, bias in the datasets
or AI application could perpetuate existing inequalities and create
unfair exclusions of underrepresented groups. Since AI processes
large datasets that may include personal information, it could
jeopardize the privacy of individuals, especially since advances in AI
could potentially re-assign identity. Additionally, accountability could
be obscured behind proprietary data and code. Questions around
liability for the consequences of decisions that AI systems make, and
how those harmed could seek redress need to be considered.

4 AI is also being employed by cybersecurity professionals

to develop new methods of defense and detection.
32 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Therefore, policy and regulatory frameworks need to balance between

enabling innovation while protecting privacy and security, in order to
ensure that the AI applications are inclusive and fair. This is important
given AI’s potential to have widespread impact on decisions about
individuals’ access to services, employment and financial support.
Issues of transparency in automated decision-making, control over
one's own data and the opportunity for redress in cases of misuse or
inappropriate outcomes need to be addressed. In addition, the impact
of the adoption of AI on the employment market in the Philippines
need to be monitored, particularly the impact of intelligent chatbots
on business process outsourcing jobs.

4.3 BIG DATA

KEYWORDS big data, open data, metadata, personal data, anonymization,

re-identification

Big data is a term used to refer to datasets that are too large and
complex for traditional data-processing application software to deal
with adequately.5 Corporations are collecting all forms of data from
mobile devices, software logs, sensor networks and other devices.
The data collected includes every online search made, webpage
visited, email or message sent, product or service purchased, leaving
hundreds of thousands of electronic tracks about an individual. Tools
are available to aggregate and analyze the data to reveal trends and
associations. Big data has become a profitable commodity, as evident
in targeted advertising, a multi-billion dollar business.

5 Wikipedia, “Big data,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data.

STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 33

At the same time, big data is being used in innovative ways for
social good. It can offer insights to determine the side-effects of
drugs, optimize energy use, improve traffic control, and tackle other
development issues. Mobile phone records have been used to track
dengue fever for instance.

Most big data are in private hands – large telecommunications and

Internet companies – that are reluctant to share their data. Public
agencies may also be reluctant to share data. However, as part of
the open government movement, governments are opening up their
previously locked datasets on population, public budgets, education,
health, housing, trade, etc. Open data is linked with stimulating
research and development, and driving innovation through the use
and re-use of data to address development problems.

These datasets may include individual records that threaten individual

privacy if released openly. One of the most significant risks is the re-
identification of de-identified data. A combination of policies and
regulations that focus on data protection and privacy, and awareness
raising is needed to protect individuals’ privacy rights. Already, big
data is being used by corporations to offer differential prices to
consumers. It can be used by those in position of power to discriminate
against specific groups, leading to denied access to services and
employment, and harassment and violence. Big data has also been
used for political targeting and influencing elections. Fundamentally,
privacy is about individuals’ ability to assert their rights in the face of
significant power imbalances.

Additionally, it is vital to ensure responsible data practices and

invest in improving data quality to ensure that they are inclusive,
representative and trustworthy, which is critical to the success of AI
systems. The value of data and the potential for use expands with
quantity and quality.
34 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Policies need to support wider sharing and use of data that spurs
innovation, while recognizing the new risks and challenges it poses.
The inclusive access to free, open, interoperable, anonymized and
curated datasets will be crucial.

4.4 CLOUD COMPUTING

KEYWORDS cloud computing, data centers, infrastructure as a service,

platform as a service, software as a service

Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing resources

from storage and computation to database and application services.
These platforms, applications and databases are stored in large data
centers, referred to as the cloud. Cloud computing is characterized by
elasticity—the ability to scale up or down resources to meet variations
in computing demands; pay-per-use—enabling users to pay only for
the resources used; and self-service access. For organizations, cloud
computing offers considerable savings because it requires little capital
investments and maintenance expenses, and allows organizations to
scale services with ease.

Cloud computing is being used to store data from IoT sensors

and devices, process big data and develop AI applications. Cloud
computing is being harnessed for a more efficient and integrated
public sector. Small and medium enterprises also stand to benefit
from the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of cloud solutions. Cloud
computing could lower the upfront cost of using computing resources
and services to ensure financial inclusion, roll out smart cities and
intelligent transport initiatives, and improve health services. The
lowering of upfront investment in ICT hardware and software could
potentially open the playing field to innovative and alternative service
startups and reach underserved segments of the market.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 35

In the past few years, cloud computing has evolved from an emerging
technology to an established networking solution that is gaining
widespread acceptance and deployment. Enterprises and government
organizations are moving from test environments to placing more of
their mission-critical workloads into the cloud. Key barriers that are
impeding the widespread adoption of cloud computing include a lack
of awareness about the technology, data localization requirements,
the cost and quality of the broadband infrastructure, privacy and
security concerns, and the lack of common cloud standards across
countries.6 Another major concern regarding cloud computing is the
high cost of maintaining data centers and their impact on climate
change as they require significant electricity to power and keep
equipment cool. Countries are exploring the use of renewable energy
to power data centers.

4.5 INTERNET OF THINGS

KEYWORDS Internet of Things, IoT, Internet of Everything, smart devices,

sensors, machine-to-machine

IoT is the rapidly expanding network of devices, sensors, physical

objects, services and applications that communicate over the
Internet, generating vast quantity of data from their surroundings
that are then transmitted and analyzed to create insights and deliver
social and economic benefits.

However, the increasing number of IoT devices raises potential security

vulnerabilities and can expose user data to theft, particularly among
poorly secured, unpatched and obsolete IoT devices. Compromised
IoT systems can impact the security of its users, but it can also be
used to launch attacks against third parties or other systems.
6 National University of Singapore and Microsoft, A Cloud for Doing Good:
A Technology Revolution for All in ASEAN (2017).
36 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

IoT amplifies concerns about the potential increase of surveillance

and tracking, and the amount of sensitive data that can be collected
by devices operating in homes, businesses and public environments.
Sometimes, these devices collect data about individuals without their
knowledge or informed consent. In fact, IoT devices frequently have
no user interface to configure privacy preferences.

As IoT-based initiatives such as smart cities and smart grid are

developed and scaled, there will be a blurring of roles and responsibilities
between the public and private sectors, including in the collection,
storage and use of personal data. For these IoT initiatives, it will be
a complex challenge to figure out which data protection rules would
apply, who owns the data, and who bears the liability for any damage
or harm caused to the user of an IoT technology.7

There is a need for policy, regulatory and technological interventions to

ensure that manufacturers and suppliers of IoT products and services
integrate privacy-by design and security-by-design principles, as well
as ensure ongoing support to protect users throughout the device’s
(and the data’s) lifecycle. At the same time, it will be crucial to empower
IoT device owners with choices, tools and capabilities to take control
of the collection and use of their personal information.

7 Internet Society, “Asia-Pacific Bureau Issue Paper: Internet of Things,”

November 2017.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 37

4.6 BLOCKCHAIN

KEYWORDS blockchain, shared digital ledger, distributed digital ledger,

decentralized digital ledger, cryptocurrency

Blockchain was first conceptualized through the release of Bitcoin,

a cryptocurrency and decentralized payment system that operates
independently of any central bank. Since then, this blockchain
software has been reused and adapted for various applications in
many sectors. Use cases include making financial disbursement more
transparent and efficient, improving traceability across a supply
chain, facilitating peer-to-peer clean energy trading among off-grid
communities, and more.

Blockchain is a combination of technologies applied in a new way that

includes databases, cryptography and hash technology, peer-to-peer
networks and smart contracts. The database is sometimes referred
to as a “ledger”, and blockchain is often described as a “distributed
ledger technology” that records exchanges involving value, which can
include money, goods, medical records, properties, land titles, even
votes. As the term “distributed ledger technology” indicates, the
ledger is distributed, which means that every network node stores an
up-to-date copy of the ledger. This also means that the records in the
ledger cannot in practice be easily erased or changed because it is
replicated and distributed across the network. Blockchain, therefore,
empowers individuals to transact on a peer-to-peer basis, allowing
the co-creation of a permanent, unchangeable and transparent
record of exchange, without having to rely on a central authority.

It is important to note that blockchain technology is not geared

towards providing the actual service. Rather, it furnishes a secure,
transparent and immutable record of transactions.
38 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

For example, with land titles, the relevant public entity still has to
issue the title to the owner. This issuance, and a digital fingerprint or
hash of the land title, can be recorded in the blockchain to show proof
of ownership and title legitimacy. Fraud prevention or title alteration
by third parties can be addressed this way.8

For blockchain to work, there are a number of prerequisites that

need to be met, including accurate and reliable data, a public key
infrastructure as blockchain relies on cryptographic tools, and the
availability of skills to create blockchain applications. There are also
challenges related to security and privacy. For instance, when a
transaction has been accidentally or maliciously executed, it cannot
be reverted by any single party. This raises the question of how—and
to whom—to impute legal liability in blockchain-based systems, and
how damage can be recovered when there is no central authority in
charge of managing it. Regulations will need to lay out rules related
to accountability and liability. The transparency of public blockchains
also creates tensions with privacy principles as one can find all records
on the blockchain using a particular key and they could be correlated
to a particular profile.

Governance of blockchains is important but it is still unclear how

stakeholders will influence and manage changes to the blockchain
platform where there might be no central owner, as well as deal with
malicious and illicit activities on blockchains, without stifling beneficial
innovation. Regulatory sandboxes will be essential to allow emerging
business models to move fast from proof of concept to delivery of
results.

8 International Development Research Centre, Unpacking the disruptive

potential of blockchain technology for human development (Ottawa, 2017).
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 39

4.7 5G NETWORKS

KEYWORDS 5G, fifth-generation network, mobile broadband,

wireless networks

Broadband networks and technologies are the prerequisite for

reaping the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution. 5G promises
ultra-fast data transfer speeds, ultra-low latency and ultra-high
reliability. Furthermore, with enhanced capacity to support large
amount of data traffic and massive number of wireless connections,
5G will significantly enhance the broadband experience, and at the
same time, enable a wide range of new wireless applications that
integrate AI, big data, cloud computing, IoT and blockchain. With 5G,
there will likely be a proliferation of use cases for smart cities and for
various sectors.

The amount of data produced will correspondingly require more

bandwidth and storage. Mobile networks will have to support the
huge rise in data and there will need to be increasing investment in
the ICT infrastructure. In addition to ensuring the resilience of the
infrastructure, its environmental sustainability and impact on public
health will also need to be considered.

Operators in several countries have announced commercial

deployment of 5G before the end of 2018. As 5G systems reach the
marketplace, spectrum availability is a crucial consideration. A globally
harmonized spectrum has been key for the spread of 2G, 3G and 4G,
and there is a need for spectrum harmonization between countries
to reduce the cost and complexity of implementing and enabling
5G. Furthermore, the interoperability of connected devices through
agreed-upon technical standards will be crucial to enable seamless
communication and sharing of data.
40 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

4.8 SMART CITIES

KEYWORDS smart cities, sustainable cities, green cities

Our planet is increasingly urban, and cities are becoming nodes of

innovation and productivity. However, factors like rising populations,
rapid urbanization and climate change are putting increased pressure
on cities, especially in the areas of governance, transportation,
environment, energy, public safety and healthcare.

A smart city uses ICT to enhance its liveability, workability and

sustainability.9 A smart city increases the well-being and welfare of
its citizens with the enabling power of technology, encouraging and
facilitating its citizens’ participation in physical and digital spaces.

There is a wide array of smart city applications being piloted.

Generally, smart city applications collect data using sensors, devices
or other systems, and send the data to an analytics system for real-
time decision-making or future projections. Smart city initiatives
can result in cost savings from operational efficiencies, new and
better citizen experiences, and revenue growth from new products
or services. Concerns include cybersecurity and data privacy risks,
the “Big Brother” potential from mass and continuous surveillance,
lack of skilled workers with expertise in smart technologies (including
addressing security and privacy risks), upfront infrastructure
investment cost, and interoperability with existing systems and
devices.

Smart city initiatives require visionary leadership from local

governments, as well as participation and partnerships with the
private sector, civil society and academia to identify and prioritize
needs that smart technologies can provide solutions.
9 Defined by Smart Cities Council.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 41

This needs to be done in an integrated and holistic manner, as

opposed to a siloed approach where individual departments build
ad hoc applications with little regard for city-wide impacts and
considerations to share costs, infrastructure and data.

Cities will need a resilient broadband infrastructure to support the

smart city ecosystem. Ensuring inclusive access to this infrastructure
will also be vital to ensure that all residents are able to benefit
from the smart city applications. Another important prerequisite
is cybersecurity. With Internet-connected sensors, cybersecurity
solutions and applications are an absolute necessity as cyberattacks
can disrupt critical infrastructure such as power and water supply.
A well-trained workforce will be needed to secure the smart city
ecosystem.

Moreover, an immense amount of data coming from the IoT sensors

will need to be analyzed. City governments will need to strengthen
their analytical capabilities. The data from IoT sensors could be
incorporated in open data portals to drive innovation, and could be
used for decision-making and city-wide development planning that is
cross-sectoral and involves multiple stakeholders.

4.9 INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT

KEYWORDS intelligent transport, smart transport

Intelligent transport systems are being developed, often as part of

smart city initiatives, to combat traffic congestion, air pollution and
environmental degradation. IoT enables tracking of where people
drive their vehicles, allowing AI applications to measure traffic in real
time, monitor commuting statistics, and improve traffic planning and
management. For example, intelligent traffic signals with dynamic
42 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

functioning can gauge the actual traffic in real time and adjust traffic
lights based on vehicular volume. They are not static but adjust
continuously throughout the day as conditions change. By adding the
real-time element, they improve the efficiency of traffic flows and, as
a result, help reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Real-time traffic data can also save time for commuters and enhance
their commuting experience. This data can be provided in smartphone
apps to help drivers determine the quickest traffic routes. Similar
efficiencies have been derived from real-time public transport data.
Many transportation authorities have placed their bus, ferry and train
schedules online, which have reduced waiting time and increased usage
of public transport services. Furthermore, in cities, the emergence of
bike and car sharing, and e-hailing services are new business models
that have improved urban mobility.

In addition, there are smartphone apps that help drivers find available
parking places in congested urban areas. Sensors attached to
individual parking spots can be integrated into geographic information
systems and provide maps showing available parking spots. This
means drivers do not have to circle the block aimlessly trying to find
parking but can go directly to a free spot, thereby reducing traffic
congestion, driving time and vehicular pollutants. Combined with
smart metering systems, increased revenue can be generated from
public parking efficiencies.

Many intelligent transport pilots have been rolled out and there are
many options available, as described above, including intelligent
traffic signals, real-time road navigation, real-time public transit
information, smart parking, bike and car sharing, e-hailing and more.
It is essential to adopt a holistic approach to transport planning
and management, and strategically leverage digital technologies to
improve mobility and equitable access to transport services, and at
the same time reduce congestion, pollution, injury and death, as well
as contribute to sustainable development, including health benefits.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 43

4.10 FINTECH

KEYWORDS fintech, financial technology, financial inclusion, digital

finance

Fintech is the use of ICT to provide financial services. Fintech has

increased the efficiency of banking functions, and with the rapid
growth in mobile phone adoption, it has also increased financial
inclusion – providing the unbanked with access to loans and
savings, transfer and payment services, insurance, investment
management, and financial literacy. In the past decade, fintech
has reduced costs (and therefore enhanced affordability),
expanded the scale and deepened the reach of financial services,
particularly to unserved and underserved groups, including
women, the poor, farmers, and small and medium enterprises.
There is global consensus that financial inclusion is a critical
enabler and accelerator of poverty reduction, inclusive growth
and entrepreneurship, and contributes to strengthen resilience
to crises and disasters, and the effects of climate change.

Fintech contributes to financial inclusion as it can enable fast,

low-cost and convenient customer identification and verification;
address last-mile distribution and servicing issues through
digitally-enabled points of physical access such as mobile phones
and point-of-sale devices; enhance access to credit by using
alternative sources of data such as payment transactions and
telecoms data; and improve the ease of payments and savings.

The fintech landscape has expanded the group of financial service

providers to include not only banks, microfinance institutions and
insurance companies, but also mobile network operators, payment
companies, and e-commerce and Internet companies.
44 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

These providers are coming up with new business models, as well

as creating and offering innovative bundled products and services
that are both financial and non-financial (e.g., the bundling of
agricultural and financial services to farmers). The multi-providers
have implications for regulators:

Innovative digital financial services typically involve multiple providers

that will be storing and managing customer data and funds. There may
be risks related to real-time accuracy and reconcilability of records.

When products are bundled, regulation and monitoring becomes more

complicated, requiring coordination among regulators.

There is a need to create a level playing field among both financial and
non-financial organizations.

Agents and agent networks—the customer interface for digital

financial services—introduce new risks including fraud, agent error,
poor cash management by the agent and poor data handling.

The quality and reliability of the ICT infrastructure and system affect
the risks of disrupted service and lost data, and risk of privacy or
security breach.

In the event the consumer suffers a loss, liability can be unclear due
to the multiple providers involved in service delivery.

Fintech has the potential to accelerate financial inclusion, and to do

so, regulators and policymakers play key roles in enabling innovation
and putting in place essential safeguards. It will also be necessary to
improve financial and digital literacy.
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 45

4.11 HEALTH INFORMATICS

KEYWORDS health informatics, digital health, e-health, telehealth,

telemedicine

Health informatics is the use of ICT-based innovations in healthcare

services delivery, management and planning. Health informatics
has the potential to expand healthcare coverage to rural and
remote areas, improve service quality, enhance affordability and
optimize resources.

For instance, telemedicine can provide healthcare in rural and

remote areas, and at the same time, absorb many patients
with minor routine complaints, taking pressure off traditional
healthcare facilities. Smart applications such as integrated patient
flow management systems can improve the utilization of hospitals
and specialized equipment without compromising on availability
for patients. IoT networks can improve treatment compliance,
and big data analytics and AI can advance disease prevention,
diagnosis and treatment. 5G networks can expand access to
quality healthcare and enable remote surgery. Remote surgery
involves the transmission of 3D video data of the surgical site,
and medical data related to the patient, in real time. The remote
surgeon can also control a surgery robot based on received data,
while delivering control information to perform surgical actions.
Moreover, smart applications can engage users in maintaining
their own wellness and preventive care, as well as play a role in
shifting healthcare systems from treating illness to preventing it.
46 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Some common challenges in the uptake of health informatics

include the sensitivity of health data, the lack of interoperability
of systems and data, and the lack of capacity and cooperation
mechanism in the design, roll out and upscaling of health
informatics applications.

Healthcare decisions deal with very sensitive information, require

timely information and action, and sometimes have life or death
consequences. The importance and complexity of these decisions
create a hesitancy in adopting digital tools. The sensitive nature of
healthcare decisions and data also creates major concerns about
privacy and data security. Patients are concerned about their data
being used in ways that may damage their reputation or insurance
rating, and the healthcare industry has been resistant to make
information available as open data for fear of violating privacy.
Standards and guidelines are needed for the anonymization
and sharing of health data that protects privacy and ensures
accountability and responsible use of data.

4.12 CYBER RESILIENCE

KEYWORDS cyber resilience, cyber risk management, cybersecurity,

e-resilience, critical infostructure, data breaches

Connectivity increases the risks posed by cyberthreats and

the magnitude of these threats rises as networks become more
connected. Moreover, cyberattacks are becoming increasingly
sophisticated with the advancement of technology. There is, in
fact, an upward trend in the intensity, frequency and severity of
cyberattacks on the digital and physical infrastructure.
STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 47

With mobile technology, cloud computing and IoT creating new

openings for cyberthreats, the risks are greater than ever. Additionally,
AI is increasing the sophistication of cyberattacks, thus putting
individuals, organizations and governments without access to up-to-
date security measures at high risk.

A robust cyber resilience framework is therefore crucial for ensuring

the safety and security of individuals and organizations, as well as for
creating an enabling environment for innovations in fintech, health
informatics, intelligent transport, smart cities and other fields. Cyber
resilience can be defined as the ability of systems and organizations
to develop and execute long-term strategy to withstand cyber events.

Cross-border collaboration between the public and private sectors, in

the form of sharing threat information and best practices, is critical to
combating cybercrime and building cyber resilience. Through policies
and regulations, it will be vital to promote good security practices
among service providers, manufacturers and developers, and expand
and strengthen the cadre of cybersecurity experts.

To build cyber resilience, organizations need to have sufficient

investment in cybersecurity and plan in building a strategy to
streamline cybersecurity operations and compliance. Most
importantly, organizations should ensure that their approach is
holistic, not just by looking at its technology and processes, but
also the people involved—most often the weakest link in the chain.
Educating and building a security culture amongst employees is
probably the best defense against cyberattacks.

Nations have made use of intelligent technologies such as AI, big data,
cloud computing and IoT to boost cyber resilience, such as the use of
sensors to monitor critical service networks, and the use of AI
to detect and prevent cyberattacks.
48 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

4.13 FUTURE SKILLS

KEYWORDS future skills, 21st century skills, digital skills, digital literacy,
reskilling, upskilling

In the fourth industrial revolution, intelligent technologies are

giving rise to new categories of jobs, while partially or wholly
displacing others, at a faster pace than ever before. Jobs are being
displaced by increased automation and new positions for which
current education and training systems are not yet fully equipped
to provide. The skills required in both old and new occupations will
probably change in most industries and transform the way people
work. Identifying and building these future skills will be one of the
most challenging aspects in leveraging the opportunities of the
fourth industrial revolution.

Governments and businesses need to play an active role in reskilling

and upskilling the workforce so that they are equipped with future
skills. These include complex problem solving, critical thinking,
creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, negotiation,
and working collaboratively across sectors and borders, as well
as skills in leveraging the technologies of AI, big data, blockchain,
cloud computing and IoT.10

This will require significant investments, as well as a change of

mindset that recognizes human capital investment as an asset
rather than a liability, and a commitment to lifelong learning. At the
same time, a reorienting of education and training curricula and
methods is necessary to produce a future-ready workforce. This
may include developing programs aimed specifically at women and
girls who are often underrepresented in the ICT sector.

10 World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2018 (Geneva, 2018).
 STRATEGIC TRENDS IN THE ICT ECOSYSTEM 49

Policymakers, regulators and educators will need to play a fundamental

role in helping those who are displaced repurpose their skills or
acquire new skills. It is also vital to develop inclusive strategies and
tap the skills of the non-traditional workforce, including people with
disabilities and special needs, out-of-school youth and the retired.

4.14 CAPACITY BUILDING

KEYWORDS capacity building, digital citizenship, digital literacy, lifelong

learning, research and development

Capacity building for the fourth industrial revolution includes

promoting digital citizenship (i.e., the norms of appropriate,
responsible technology use),11 standing up for one’s privacy
rights, raising cybersecurity awareness, developing education
and lifelong learning initiatives, and promoting interdisciplinary
research and development on the application of intelligent
technologies for sustainable social and economic development.

It also involves unlocking the potential of a large young population

by promoting and supporting entrepreneurship and startups
through better access to markets, finance and skills, and developing
local innovation ecosystems, including innovation networks and
collaborative environments (e.g., innovation labs) that promote
cross-sector and cross-country innovation partnerships.

To nurture talent for the future, there is a need to demolish typical

boundaries of learning, by making learning easily available and
flexible, both online and offline. Being able to fit work and caring
responsibilities around study is especially helpful for those who
are unable to be present on campus every day.
11 Digital Citizenship, http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/.
50 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

There are over 2,000 Tech4Ed centers throughout the nation,

and its learning platform can be leveraged to develop the ICT
capacity of Filipinos, particularly reskilling and upskilling for the
fourth industrial revolution, and strengthening individuals and
organizations’ cyber resilience.

A multi-stakeholder partnership of governments, industry

employers, education providers and others are required to
experiment and invest in new types of education and training
provision to fully benefit from the fourth industrial revolution and to
harness the intelligent technologies for sustainable development.

More fundamentally, the fourth industrial revolution is challenging

our ideas of the world and is bringing to light in very obvious
ways the widening inequality and the exploitation of people’s
vulnerabilities. This forces us to reassess our shared human values,
which in turn shape our strategies and operations in government,
business and civil society. Our future will depend on how well we
succeed to collectively define our priorities, engage in questions
about values and ethics, and align technological development
accordingly. We have to consciously build positive values into
the technologies we create, think about how they are to be used,
and design them with ethical application in mind – in support of
collaborative, sustainable and inclusive ways of preserving what
is important to us. Platforms for multi-stakeholder dialogue and
participatory models that include citizens and social groups will
be vital.
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 53

STRATEGIC
THRUSTS
In terms of digital inclusion, equal access to opportunity is of paramount
significance in bridging the countryside and narrowing the digital
divide. In view of this, ICT development must be continuously pushed
across different regions and cultures. To achieve this, strategic thrusts
must be in place to ensure that the integrated digital economy is not
hindered by various constraints.

Indeed, the growing relevance of ICT cannot anymore be underestimated,

and for this reason, NICTEF identifies the following six (6) areas
mirroring the digital transformation strategies of the government for
sustainable development of the ICT ecosystem. NICTEF shall focus on
promoting these thrusts in order to achieve its vision. Each thrust is
supported by ongoing and proposed ICT-related projects of the DICT
and its attached agencies which are expected to steer the country
closer to the realization of the thrust’s goals. This chapter also
provides a snapshot of how the framework elements are addressed by
the key projects identified. The key projects have been analyzed by
their respective focal to determine the degree of their impact to the
framework elements.
54 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

5.1 PARTICIPATORY E-GOVERNANCE

With the increasing reliance on the internet for delivery of government

services and day-to-day citizens’ transactions and business operations
(e.g. G2C, G2G, C2C,C2B, etc.), the Philippine populace’ strong market
potential poses challenges pertinent to setting up an ecosystem of
interconnected and interoperable electronic communications system
that is responsive to the needs of a digital society.

Generally, good economics is equated with good governance as one

of the main ingredients in achieving growth. At the onset of the digital
age, when there is proliferation of new technologies in all aspects of
our daily activities, the demand for the government to deliver services
in an environment that is open, transparent and efficient is definitely
at its peak.

With the application of ICTs in enhancing the government's

role in service delivery, public administration, and promotion of
participatory democracy, digital transformation has paved the way
for social progress to happen. With this, the NICTEF shall focus on
providing leadership, direction and coordination in the development,
implementation and use of ICT for socio-economic development and
for delivery of public service to digitally-empowered citizens in the
digital economy.

At the onset, seamless data exchange ensures smoother government

transactional services, ease of doing business and a confident
citizenry. Viewing the lens of governance as a public good, the public
domain reflects trust as a basic tenet both of civil service and of the
internet, especially on upholding the citizen’s charter.
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 55

This thrust on participatory e-governance seeks to deepen citizen

participation in the governmental processes by examining the
assumptions and practices of the traditional view that generally
hinders the realization of a genuine participatory democracy.
The thrust also addresses the inter-related questions of citizen
competence, empowerment, and capacity building, and evaluates the
impact of participatory governance on service delivery, social equity,
and political representation.

TABLE 5.1. KEY PROJECTS ON PARTICIPATORY

E-GOVERNANCE AND THEIR IMPACT
ON THE FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies

National
Government (2) (1) (3) (2) (2)
Portal

E-Government
Participatory Masterplan (2) (2) (2) (1) (3)
e-Governance 2022

Integrated
Business
Permits and (2) (1) (3) (2) (2)
Licensing
System (iBPLS)

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)
56 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

5.2 INDUSTRY AND COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT

The dynamism of change mirrors the tapestry of national and

regional development. At the onset of open governance, the social
fabric is enriched by the allied fields of mobile telecommunications,
digital broadcasting and information technology. This ecosystem
of interactions magnifies the growth potential of the ICT industry,
strategic in propelling the country as an economic gravitas in ASEAN
as a thriving landscape to invest in and an exciting interconnectivity
hub.

Notable programs have been initiated inasmuch as ease of setting

up and doing business is concerned, particularly in the fields of
e-commerce starting from the law institutionalizing the use of
electronic means for undertaking commercial processes back in 2000.
Also included in these efforts are the provisioning of financial services
and deployment of digital payment platforms to areas without
access previously, in cooperation with private telecommunications
companies.

By making broadband services available and affordable for all, it has

become vital for economic growth and social welfare. Thus, it is in
setting up conducive environments such as innovation hubs that the
complex interplay of the underpinning science, technology adoption,
idea commercialization and business incubation fosters growth in the
micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Alongside the fiscal
support and incentives from government and banking institutions,
ICT then plays as the enabling tool anchored on the network
infrastructure, the applications that run on it, and the services that
govern its operation.
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 57

With NICTEF, the nation will achieve a knowledge-based economy

wherein the state recognizes the vital role of scientists and engineers
in developing solutions in reference to national priorities, through
permissionless innovation. This opportunity brings about the MSMEs
capability to transact with individuals, businesses, and entities
through integrated financing facilities, and eventually offer products
and services with relatively new business and profitability models,
oftentimes, disruptive and fostering rapid innovation.

This thrust also takes into consideration the quantity, quality and
scalability of talent, availability of infrastructure, competitive cost
of doing business, government support and the state of business
environment in sustaining the benefits and addressing the challenges
of the digital economy. By bringing ICT to the countryside, it will aid in
achieving an inclusive economic growth in the country.

TABLE 5.2. KEY PROJECTS ON INDUSTRY AND

COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR
IMPACT ON THE FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies
digitalcitiesPH (2) (1) (2) (3) (2)
Digital
Industry and Terrestrial
Countryside Television
Development Broadcasting: (1) (3) (2) (2) (2)
Comprehensive
Nationwide
Implementation

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)
58 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 5.2. (CONT'D) KEY PROJECTS ON INDUSTRY

AND COUNTRYSIDE DEV'T
AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE
FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies
Rural Impact
(3) (1) (2) (2) (2)
Sourcing
seedPH (3) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Industry and Stepping Up
Countryside the Value (3) (1) (2) (2) (2)
Development Chain
Tech4ED (2) (2) (3) (1) (1)
Spectrum
(2) (2) (2) (3) (2)
Roadmap

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)

5.3 RESOURCE SHARING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

THROUGH ICT

The pace at which ICT evolves is strikingly fast, and as citizens grow in
anticipation for the realization of enhanced public service delivery, it
has become more apparent that the contract with the Filipino people
is foremost in the achievement of the nation’s goal, AmBisyon Natin
2040, of prosperity for all. Digital transformation then will pave the
way for social progress to happen.
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 59

It is precisely due to consumers’ dependence on the interconnection

and interoperability of information technology, broadcasting and
telecommunications, that the trends of today necessitate the nation
to implement projects that would push forward the ICT agenda for
inclusive growth and sustainable development.

As business now are highly dependent on ICT, it is incentivizing to

ensure that the industry gets services at competitive rates, in a timely
manner and maintained with an acceptable level of service.

To complement this growth, the productive workforce of the future

should be equipped with skills related to telecommuting. The ultimate
objective would be putting a huge number of digital laborers home-
based or in pockets of co-working spaces/satellite portable offices,
so as to augment the economic losses brought about by traffic issues
plaguing the central business districts, and therefore adding value to
the quality of life for digital workers.

This thrust also brings in focus the essentials to the development and
protection of integrated government ICT infrastructures and design
architecture, taking into consideration the inventory of existing
workforce, plans, programs, software, hardware, and installed systems,
while advocating for continuing professional development by means of
digital tools and enabling traditional ones with ICT and enhancing the
ICT-related education curriculum.
60 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 5.3. KEY PROJECTS ON RESOURCE

SHARING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
THROUGH ICT AND THEIR IMPACT ON
THE FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies

Digital Literacy
Resource Training Project
(3) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Sharing and
Capacity Government-wide
Building Medium-term ICT
Through ICT Harmonization
(2) (1) (1) (1) (3)
Initiative

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)

5.4 IMPROVED PUBLIC LINKS AND CONNECTIVITY

The Philippines has been developing progressively in light of a robust

infostructure build-out across its major island groups - Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao. At its core, the government recognizes the
opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies that cultivate
integrated economies, blur geographic boundaries and empower
future talents.

Further, access to information is vital in building a knowledge-based

economy wherein civil society, businesses and the government work
together in an environment that incentivizes efficient delivery of
information be it in the form of real-time news updates, fundamental
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 61

stock prices, or disaster warning advisories. Priority is then given to

the last mile dimension as advances in technology allow for ICT-enabled
media that has more extensive reach, higher capacity to connect and
faster data rates.

Increased infusion of investments in the telecommunications industry

is poised to drive countryside development for a more accessible,
inclusive and affordable digital economy. An example of which includes
the government submarine cable landing station wherein its operation
will not only provide enterprise class connectivity for government
agencies to deliver online citizen services, but also significantly lower
the bandwidth cost for nationwide connectivity. More importantly, it
can provide years of expandability for future government ICT programs
in health, education and transparency.

In a few years, the Philippines will have to maximize the potential of

a young, digitally-enabled workforce by laying the groundwork today
for improved public links coupled with effective policy frameworks
that are forward responsive, technology neutral and underpinned
on convergence and open access. Operationalizing advancements in
mobile cellular technology as well as fixed wireline solutions using fiber
and emergent technologies necessitates audit and assessment of
infrastructure, mapping network coverage, and inventory of available
bandwidth in terms of capacity, redundancy, traffic routing and data
integrity.

Reflecting on a previous ITU study, which said: “The higher penetration

of broadband, the more important is its contribution to economic
growth,” which also makes for “a positive contribution of broadband
to job creation in developed and developing countries”, this thrust
covers discussion on leveraging connectivity to streamline business
processes, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies and
enterprises drive innovation to move the focus from a consumer driven
internet to an industrial one.
62 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Said build-outs include the establishment of data centers and layout of

fiber optic networks to interconnect government offices and provide
high-speed communication and sharing of tasks and data. Inventory
of software includes online tools, services and applications for use by
government agencies and citizens that enables the delivery of social
services, even to the grassroots of society.

TABLE 5.4. KEY PROJECTS ON IMPROVED

PUBLIC LINKS AND CONNECTIVITY
AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE
FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies
Free Wi-Fi
Internet Access
(1) (2) (2) (3) (1)
in Public Places
Project

Government
(1) (2) (2) (3) (1)
Network

Improved National
Public Links and Broadband (1) (1) (2) (3) (2)
Connectivity Program
National
Government
(1) (2) (2) (3) (1)
Data Center
(NGDC) Project
Philippine
Roadmap for (1) (2) (2) (2) (3)
5G Technology

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 63

5.5 ICT USER PROTECTION AND

INFORMATION SECURITY

Filipinos depend on the internet for a multitude of things like

students accessing open learning courseware, professionals utilizing
e-application of licenses, and businesses doing online banking
transactions. Having identified critical infostructures in the banking,
transportation, and energy industries to name a few, their resiliency
and overall integrity is premised on a complex interplay of policy,
technology and developmental aspects tied together in a distinct,
cohesive and responsive manner, be it in law enforcement, national
defense or network protection.

Cybersecurity poses real threats, thus emphasis must be given on

creating an enabling environment where laws are relevant and able
to address disruptive issues in relation to cyber threats; such cases
need arbitration of highly trained professionals that transcends the
physical and the cyber arena.

On the other hand, information security simply implies the protection

and preservation of information, with its central purpose to
protect and preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability
of information. It may also involve protecting and preserving the
authenticity and reliability of information and ensuring that entities
exhibit accountability.

This thrust, in summary, considers several issues including end user

computing security, information classification, file management, back-
up, handling of sensitive or confidential data, responsible use of the
internet including email, data protection legislation, disaster planning
and system continuity. Further, this shall provide a strategic direction
of making the Philippines cyber resilient and the ways to achieve such
vision through knowledge management as a community of practice.
64 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

After all, businesses, citizens and the government rely on the internet
as the backbone of operations. This encompasses ensuring that
the entities, systems, and processes involved can exchange ICT
information in a safe and secure ICT environment.

TABLE 5.5. KEY PROJECTS ON ICT USER

PROTECTION AND INFORMATION
SECURITY AND THEIR IMPACT
ON THE FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies
Data Privacy
Breach and
Security Incident
(3) (1) (2) (1) (1)
Reporting System
ICT User
Protection and National
Information CyberSecurity (2) (2) (2) (3) (2)
Security Plan 2022

Cybersecurity
Management (2) (1) (3) (2) (2)
System

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 65

5.6 ENABLING AND SUSTAINABLE ICT ENVIRONMENT

Although mainstream environmental protection deals with land use

management, marine conservation and geoscience research, a
localized perspective on the role of a sustainable ICT environment is
necessary in disaster risk reduction and management. Indeed, disaster
management through ICT is an administrative priority which ensures
that economic growth is sustained and vulnerabilities are minimized.

Drawing from the collective experience of the Philippines, being

situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Typhoon Belt, the archipelago
is exposed to geographical vulnerabilities such as earthquakes,
tsunamis and volcanic activities. As disaster management steadily
gains traction over the recent years, ICT also finds its way towards
streamlining processes as an enabling tool for the realization of
effective information exchange.

Major ICT application areas include monitoring and data acquisition

systems for disaster prevention and mitigation, weather forecasting
systems for disaster preparedness, intelligent operations center,
and emergency communication systems for disaster response, and
information systems for tracking donations and funds for making
disaster recovery efforts more transparent.

Undoubtedly, the rise of ICT strengthens environmental resilience

and disaster preparedness on a national level. This thrust explores
how the Internet and the ICT and related research communities can
help tackle environmental challenges in the country through more
environmentally sustainable models of economic development, and
examines the status of current and emerging environmentally friendly
technologies, equipment and applications in supporting programs
aimed at addressing climate change and improving energy efficiency,
66 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

including digital divide between gender groups and ensure that the
benefits of ICT are evenly accessible to all.

This trend puts forth advances in ICT as a dynamic platform that

extends government capabilities like establishing disaster operations
centers, all-weather communication systems, and predictive warning
platforms.

Also, this thrust covers gender gaps. These exist in many forms
including iterations of the digital divide, wherein ICT when viewed from
both macro- and microeconomic perspectives, creates an imbalance
in society that leaves a portion of the community either unconnected,
uneducated or uninformed. This may pertain to lack of knowledge of
how certain technology works, of the opportunities that abound its
use, and of the livelihood created by new requirements of the digital
workforce.

Further, the increased occurrence of certain genders being

marginalized in cyberspace has also been alarming. While qualified
access to information promises a brighter future through more
informed decision-making, aided by trends like Artificial Intelligence,
Big Data and Machine Learning, it is imperative that the government
in consultation with various stakeholders promulgate policies and
issuances that will facilitate the use of ICT most notably by those who
are marginalized.
 STRATEGIC THRUSTS 67

TABLE 5.6. KEY PROJECTS ON ENABLING AND

SUSTAINABLE ICT ENVIRONMENT
AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE
FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS
STRATEGIC
PROJECTS
THRUST Human
Affordable
Infrastructure/
Standards,
Access and Platforms Regulations
Capital Infostructure
Device and Policies
Alternative
Dispute
Resolution
(1) (1) (2) (1) (3)
System for
Enabling and Data Privacy
Sustainable ICT Complaints
Environment
Women’s ICT
Development (2) (2) (2) (1) (3)
Index

LEGEND Strong Impact (3) Some Impact (2) Limited Impact (1)
68 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Please refer to Annex A for a brief description of the key projects.

A complete list of the projects will be made available in the NICTEF
website. The website will also contain more information on each
project which include:

Project Title

Contact Details

Website, if any

Lead Proponent(s)

Supporting Partner(s)

Beneficiaries

Framework Elements

Strategic Enablers

Strategic Thrusts

To-date Accomplishments

Expected Outcomes

Timeframe

Budget (Actual/Forecast)
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 71

STRATEGIC
INDICATORS
In order to measure the progress of the ecosystem, the following
indicators were selected. Certainly, there are project-level and even
sector-level indicators that would show progress on a more granular
level. These measures are often included at the project level. For
example, the “National Broadband Program” and the “Free Wi-Fi Internet
Access in Public Places” each have their own success indicators which
will be monitored and evaluated.

However, at the ecosystem level, there is a need to select indicators

that would conflate multiple measures, since it takes an ecosystem
working in concert, and not any individual project or program, to move
the needle on these indicators.
72 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.1. ECOSYSTEM-LEVEL INDICATORS

NAME OF INDICATOR ORGANIZING BODY

Network Readiness Index World Economic Forum

ICT Development Index International Telecommunications Union

Digital Adoption Index World Bank
Freedom on the Net Index Freedom House
World Digital Competitiveness Ranking IMD World Competitiveness Center
Affordability Drivers Index Alliance for Affordable Internet
Inclusive Internet Index Economist Intelligence Unit
E-Government Development Index United Nations

On the following pages, we have included a description of each

indicator, as well as a short write-up on the methodology and criteria
used in computing the indicator. We also include the score for the
Philippines, as compared to a subset of ASEAN countries.

6.1 NETWORK READINESS INDEX

(WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM)

SUMMARY The Network Readiness Index is published by the World Economic

Forum since 2001 together with INSEAD & Cornell.12 The primary goal
of the index is to benchmark the exercise of technology readiness for
140+ countries to guide different governments in leveraging ICT to
drive economic progress.

12 https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regional-Presence/ArabStates/Documents/
events/2016/ICTind/Presentations/Session6/Session%206c%20-%20Bal-
ler%20-%20TRA%20ITU%20Forum%20Dubai%20NRI%2020161214.pdf
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 73

C R IT E R I A The Global Information Technology Report, from where the Network

Readiness Index is primarily used, identifies 10 crucial pillars of
measurement.

Ranging from measuring functional government institutions to the

presence of digital infrastructure and business incentives, the pillars
identify areas of success and improvements for each country towards
achieving universal access of ICT. The following show a brief explanation
of the contents of each pillar13:

TABLE 6.2. PILLARS OF NETWORKED

READINESS INDEX

ENVIRONMENT SUB-INDEX
1st Pillar: Political and regulatory environment – Primarily refers to the laws surrounding ICT,
including the regulatory framework and the enforcement of rules in contracts, intellectual prop-
erty, etc.

2nd Pillar: Business and innovation environment – Looks at different indicators of a healthy
business environment: government processes, education, and the investments in technology.
It also includes indices for taxes, venture capital, and the availability of latest technology.

READINESS SUB-INDEX
3rd Pillar: Infrastructure – Indices relating to the building of necessary digital highways

4th Pillar: Affordability – Indices directly related to the cost of access

5th Pillar: Skills – Refers to the necessary knowledge to create, use, and improve network tech-
nologies

13 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR2016/GITR_2016_full%20report_final.
pdf
74 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.2. (CONT'D) PILLARS OF NETWORKED

READINESS INDEX

USAGE SUB-INDEX

6th Pillar: Individual usage – Documents network users in different categories (i.e. social
groups, type of technologies, functions)

7th Pillar: Business usage – Documents various industry practices that take advantage of net-
work technologies and the commercial viability of certain innovations

8th Pillar: Government usage – Measures government participation in ICT

IMPACT SUB-INDEX
9th Pillar: Economic impacts – Measures ICT’s impact using economic indices and other proxies
for improvement

10th Pillar: Social impacts – Broadly measures adaptation of network technologies in key insti-
tutions (governments, schools, etc.) in the provision of basic and universal services

Each pillar represents many variables, all measured from 1 (as the
lowest) to 7 (as the highest). The Index aggregates data from
53 different indicators, arranged using the Network Readiness
framework. A country is essentially assigned a higher score the
more it “possesses the drivers necessary for digital technologies
to unleash their potential, and on whether these technologies are
actually impacting the economy and society”14.

14 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR2016/GITR_2016_full
%20report_final.pdf
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 75

TABLE 6.3. ASEAN COUNTRIES' NETWORK

READINESS RANKING AND RATING, 201615

RANK COUNTRY RATING

1 Singapore 6.0
31 Malaysia 4.2
62 Thailand 4.2
73 Indonesia 4.0
77 Philippines 4.0
79 Vietnam 3.0
104 Lao (PDR) 3.4
109 Cambodia 3.4
133 Myanmar 2.7
— Brunei —
The Philippines recorded a score of 4.0 out 7.0 and by far has an
increasing trend of score since 2012. The country has ranked 77th
out of the 139 economies included in the survey. Figure 3 displays the
overview performance of the Philippines according to categories or
pillars of the abovementioned sub-indices. It can be noticed in the
graph that the Philippines has scored the highest in the 5th Pillar,
Skills, which is under the Readiness sub-index. This implies that the
country has a fairly higher enrollment rate in secondary education,
better quality of education system, and higher adult literacy rate
through an efficient use of ICT. Meanwhile, the Philippines has ranked
high, 36th, in the 7th Pillar which is Business Usage. This means that it
is one of the countries that utilize ICT in a wide extent of their business
operation and has a huge capacity to come up with new innovations.
Despite a score of 4.1 in the 4th Pillar, Affordability, the country has
only ranked 107th among all the economies, indicating that the country
has a relatively higher retail price of mobile telephony and broadband
internet subscription due to limited competition in the market.
15 http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2016/
networked-readiness-index/
76 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

FIGURE 3. PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW OF

THE PHILIPPINES IN THE NRI16

SCORE
1st Pillar
6
10th Pillar 5 2nd Pillar
4
3
9th Pillar 2 3rd Pillar
1
0

8th Pillar 4th Pillar

7th Pillar 5th Pillar

6th Pillar

16 World Economic Forum. (2016). The Global Information Technology Report

2016. Retrieved from http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-tech-
nology-report-2016/economies/#economy=PHL.
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 77

6.2 ICT DEVELOPMENT INDEX

(INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION)

SUMMARY Used in the Measuring the Information Society Report (MISR), the
ICT Development Index (IDI) is an ICT data and benchmarking tool
to measure the information society,17 that is, measure the changes
taking place in countries at different levels of ICT development.18

C R IT E R I A The Index makes use of three general categories, according to its

conceptual framework: (1) Access sub-index, (2) Use sub-index, and
(3) Skills sub-index.19

ICT infrastructure and access indicators – This sub-index captures

ICT readiness, and includes five infrastructure and indicators.

ICT usage indicators – This sub-index captures ICT intensity, and

includes three intensity and usage indicators.

ICT skills indicators – This sub-index seeks to capture capabilities or

skills which are important for ICTs, and includes three proxy indicators.

Each of the 11 indicators correspond to a percentage and weight in

the final computation of the rankings. Access and usage get a weight
of 40 while skills are assigned a weight of 20.

17 https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2017.aspx
18 https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2017/
methodology.aspx
19 https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2017/
methodology.aspx
78 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.4. ASEAN COUNTRIES' IDI RANKING

AND RATING, 201720

RANK COUNTRY RATING

18 Singapore 8.05
53 Brunei 6.75
63 Malaysia 6.38
78 Thailand 5.67
101 Philippines 4.67
108 Vietnam 4.43
111 Indonesia 4.33
128 Cambodia 3.28
135 Myanmar 3.00
139 Lao (PDR) 2.91

As seen in Table 6.5, the average IDI value for 2017 among the 176
countries was 5.11 with the Iceland having the highest IDI of 8.98 and
Eritrea with the lowest IDI of 0.96. Meanwhile, the Philippines scored
4.87 within the possible range of 0 to 10.

The world average IDI Access Sub-Index is 5.59 in which the

Philippines scored 4.87. Among the indicators of this sub index, some
of the indicators with significant differences are the fixed-telephone
subscription per 100 inhabitants wherein the world average is 13.57
with the Philippines only having 3.71 indicating such a small number of
Filipinos with fixed telephone subscriptions as they opt to use mobile
phones, evident in the 109.17 score in the mobile-cellular telephone
subscription per 100 inhabitants.

20 https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 79

Another indicator in which the Philippines scored much lower

compared to the world average is that of the international internet
bandwidth per Internet user, as the country had a record of 43439.79
bits per second and a world average of 74464 bits per second. The
percentage of households with computer in the Philippines is only
39.10%, relatively smaller than the world average of 46.61%.

In terms of the IDI Use Sub-Index, the Philippines scored 3.70 while
the world average has reached 4.26. The percentage of individuals
using the internet in the country is 55.50% which is almost 10% higher
than that of the world average. Meanwhile, in the other remaining
indicators, fixed (wired)-broadband subscription and active mobile-
subscription per 100 inhabitants, the Philippines has scored 5.46
and 46.38, respectively. These are noticeably lower than the world
average.

With the IDI Skills Sub-Index, the Philippines scored a 6.20, higher than
the world average of 5.85. In its indicators, mean years of schooling
and secondary gross enrolment ratio, the Philippines scored 6.20 and
9.30 which are higher than the world average. Meanwhile, it scored
35.75 in the tertiary gross enrolment ratio, more than 3 points lower
than the world average.
80 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.5. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE WORLD

IDI 2017 VALUE AND THE PHILIPPINES21

IDI INDICATORS WORLD PHILIPPINES

IDI 2017 Value 5.11 4.67

IDI Access Sub-Index 5.59 4.87
Fixed-telephone subscription per 100 inhabitants 13.57 3.71
Mobile-cellular telephone subscription per 100 inhabitants 101.53 109.17
International internet bandwidth per internet user (Bit/s) 74464 43439.79
Percentage of households with computer 46.61 34.04
Percentage of households with Internet access 51.46 39.10
IDI Use Sub-Index 4.26 3.70
Percentage of individuals using the Internet 45.91 55.50
Fixed (wired)-broadband subscription per 100 inhabitants 12.39 5.46
Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 52.23 46.28
IDI Skills Sub-Index 5.85 6.20
Mean years of schooling 8.52 9.30
Secondary gross enrolment ratio 84.00 88.39
Tertiary gross enrolment ratio 38.69 35.75

21 http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html?#idi2017comparison-tab
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 81

6.3 DIGITAL ADOPTION INDEX (WORLD BANK)22

SUMMARY The Digital Adoption Index is a global index that measures countries’
digital adoption across three dimensions of the economy: people,
government, and business. The index covers 180 countries on a
0–1 scale and emphasizes the “supply side” of digital adoption to
maximize coverage and simplify theoretical linkages. The overall
index is the simple average of three sub-indices. Each sub-index
comprises technologies necessary for the respective agent to
promote development in the digital era:

increasing productivity and accelerating broad-based growth for

business,

expanding opportunities and improving welfare for people, and

increasing the efficiency and accountability of service delivery for

government.

Although data and theoretical constraints prohibit any index from

providing a comprehensive view of an economy, the Digital Adoption
Index (DAI) provides a useful framing mechanism for digital adoption
across economic agents and countries. By measuring the relative
adoption of digital technologies, the index can assist policy makers
in designing a digital strategy with tailored policies to promote digital
adoption across different user groups.

The DAI is intended to reflect actual adoption of digital technologies

across the economy, not perceptions of adoption. Accordingly,
indicators comprising the index represent subscriptions, access,
or adoption and eschew public or elite opinion surveys. Most data
come from the International Telecommunication Union or the World
Bank. Other sources include Eurostat, GSMA, and Netcraft. Data were
collected for two time periods: 2014 and 2016.
22 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/
handle/10986/30437/9781464813252.pdf
82 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

C R IT E R I A The business sub-index measures the quality of digital infrastructure

needed for e-commerce and other business functions, comprising the
number of secure servers and international internet bandwidth, as
well as the percentage of businesses with websites as a proxy for their
more general online business activities.

The people sub-index measures the extent and quality of individuals’

connections to the digital world, comprising access to mobile-cellular
phones, basic internet, and mobile and fixed broadband.

And the government sub-index measures the adoption of core

administrative systems to automate and streamline government
activities and digital identification systems and online public services
that allow the government to better serve the public.

Missing values are estimated, and indicators normalized to create a

complete and balanced data set. A few indicators— particularly the
percentage of businesses with websites—are missing observations
for many countries. Instead of dropping the countries, missing values
are imputed using data on per capita income, internet use, and
geographical region. Data are normalized on a 0–1 scale so that each
indicator has equal weight within a sub-index. In all but one case,
indicators are normalized across both years, not within each individual
year. Observed changes can therefore be considered absolute changes
in value for particular countries, not merely a reordering based on
relative trajectories between countries.

For example, the DAI score for the Philippines increased from 0.44 to
0.49 over the period 2014–16. This means that the Philippines made
progress over the period, increasing digital adoption. If scores were
normalized within years (not across years), it would not be possible to
determine if an increase in the Philippines’ score meant the Philippines
made progress, or other countries regressed.
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 83

Normalized data is averaged so that the DAI’s constituent indicators

have equal weight at each level. For example, the government
indicator of core administrative systems is composed of four
categorical variables collected by the World Bank. After the scores are
normalized, the simple average is calculated. The resulting average
represents the country’s score for core administrative systems.
The core administrative systems score is then averaged with the
scores for digital identification and online public services, which are
generated using a similar process. And the resulting average at that
level represents the government sub-index score.

The business and people sub-indices follow the same process. The
overall DAI varies on a 0–1 scale because its source indicators are
normalized to that scale. As with the sub-indices, 0 is the lowest
possible score on the DAI, representing no adoption of digital
technologies, and 1 is the highest possible score, representing full
adoption of digital technologies. Theoretically, a country can score a
perfect 1 if it has the best score on all the indicators comprising the
DAI or a perfect 0 if it has the worst score on all the indicators. But in
practice, DAI scores ranged 0.14–0.87 in 2014 and 0.15–0.87 in 2016.
In 2016, the Philippines earned a score of 0.43 in the DAI which is
relatively lower than the average score of its neighboring countries
within East Asia and Pacific which is 0.50. The country scored 0.35
in the Business sub-indicator, lowest among the three sub-indices.
In the said indicator, it was found that the Philippines had 92% 3G
coverage, download speed of 3349 kbps, and 11 million secure servers.
In terms of People sub-index, the country scored 0.52 which is lower
than the average score of 0.63 of countries in East Asia and Pacific.
The study shows that only 18% of the Filipinos have internet access
at home while 88% have mobile access at home. In the Government
sub-index, the Philippines earned a score of 0.43 which is equal to the
average score of its neighboring countries. The country scored 0.48
in online public services, 0.03 in digital identification, and 0.77 in core
administrative systems.
84 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.6. ASEAN COUNTRIES'

DIGITAL ADOPTION INDEX

COUNTRY INDEX – 2014 INDEX – 2016

Singapore 0.87 0.87
Malaysia 0.65 0.69
Brunei 0.57 0.63
Thailand 0.57 0.62
Vietnam 0.47 0.54
Philippines 0.44 0.49
Indonesia 0.39 0.46
Cambodia 0.36 0.40
Lao (PDR) 0.20 0.26
Myanmar 0.17 0.26

6.4 FREEDOM ON THE NET INDEX

(FREEDOM HOUSE)
SUMMARY The Freedom on the Net Index, part of Freedom House’s annual Freedom
on the Net report, scores 65 countries across the globe on “each
country’s level of internet and digital media freedom based on a set of
methodology questions developed in consultation with international
experts to capture the vast array of relevant issues that enable
internet freedom. The index also measures access and openness of
other digital means of transmitting information, particularly mobile
phones and text messaging services.”23

Aside from measuring technical access to ICT, this index also measures
individuals’ freedom to access ICT technologies and services. The
quality of access measured by this index therefore covers not just
infrastructural and economic barriers to access, but also challenges
to individual rights as enabled by ICT.
23 https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net-methodology
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 85

This includes the “transmission and exchange of news and other

politically relevant communications” and the “protection of users’
rights to privacy and freedom from both legal and extralegal
repercussions arising from their online activities.”

C R IT E R I A The index draws heavily from the definition of free expression outlined
in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and
to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media
regardless of frontiers.”24

It also takes into consideration specific circumstances where

freedom of expression and access to information may be legitimately
restricted. It accepts restrictions that are “in line with international
human rights standards, the rule of law, and the principles of necessity
and proportionality.”

The index maintains that policies and procedures that aim to censor or
surveil must be “transparent and include avenues for appeal available
to those affected."

There are three general categories for the questions asked in the
report, that is eventually scored:

Obstacles to Access details infrastructural and economic barriers to

access, legal and ownership control over internet service providers,
and independence of regulatory bodies;

Limits on Content analyzes legal regulations on content, technical

filtering and blocking of websites, self-censorship, the vibrancy and
diversity of online news media, and the use of digital tools for civic
mobilization;

24 https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net-methodology
86 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Violations of User Rights tackles surveillance, privacy, and

repercussions for online speech and activities, such as imprisonment,
extralegal harassment, or cyberattacks.

Under each category, each question is scored on a varying range of

points. A lower number of points is allotted for a freer situation, while
a higher number of points is allotted for a less free environment.
A country’s total points for all three categories represent its final
score, rated from 0 to 100. Based on the score, Freedom House
determines whether a country’s assigned internet freedom rating
is “Free (Scores 0-30),” “Partly Free (Scores 31-60),” or “Not Free
(Scores 61-100).”

The Philippines earned a score of 31 making it a “partly free” country.

The report has also noted that the Philippines has slipped from a Free
to Partly Free country and is one of the countries that had biggest
declines in the score. Philippines previously had a score of 28 in 2017.
This decline is due to content manipulation and cyber attacks that
threatened to distort online information which calls for a stronger
cybersecurity for the country.

TABLE 6.7. ASEAN COUNTRIES' FREEDOM ON

THE NET RATING, 2018

COUNTRY RATING
Philippines 31
Singapore 41
Malaysia 45
Indonesia 46
Cambodia 55
Myanmar 64
Thailand 65
Vietnam 76
Brunei –
Lao (PDR) –
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 87

6.5 WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING

(IMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS CENTER)25

SUMMARY Introduced in 2017, the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking

(WDCR) analyzes the extent to which a country adopts and explores
digital technologies and their role in transforming government
practices, business models and society.

C R IT E R I A WDCR rankings are calculated using 50 different standings,

collated from 30 hard and 20 survey data. After the data has been
summarized, countries are then ranked from the most to the least
digital competitive. The index investigates three factors (knowledge,
technology, and future readiness), with each corresponding to
three sub-factors and all of which influence 50 different indicators.

TABLE 6.8. FACTORS OF THE WORLD DIGITAL

COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

KNOWLEDGE TECHNOLOGY FUTURE READINESS

Know-how necessary to dis- Overall context that enables Level of country preparedness
cover, understand, and build the development of digital to exploit digital transforma-
new technologies technologies tion
Talent Regulatory Framework Adaptive Attitudes
Training and Education Capital Business Agility
Scientific Concentration Technological Framework IT Integration

Each of the 9 sub-factor has equal weight (i.e., roughly 11.1%). In each
of the different criteria measured, hard data—which analyzes digital
competitiveness (e.g., Internet bandwidth speed)—represents
a weight of 2/3 in the overall ranking, while soft data (or survey
data)—which analyze competitiveness (e.g., agility of companies)—
represents a weight of 1/3. The results are then aggregated, making
the total consolidated data the basis for the overall ranking of the
WDCR.
25 IMD World Competitiveness Center (2018). IMD World Digital
Competitiveness Ranking 2018. Retrieved from https://www.imd.org/
wcc/world-competitiveness-center-rankings/world-digital-competi-
tiveness-rankings-2018/
88 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

The Philippines earned an overall rank of 56, part of the bottom 10

countries, which is 10 steps lower than its previous rank in 2017. It has
also been consistently falling in the ranking since 2014. Knowledge
factor has improved but was still outweighed by the declines in
technology and future readiness factors. Capital sub-factor under
technology has had a major drop from 29th to 43rd due to decline in
perceptions about the effectiveness of banking and financial services
and availability of venture capital. Adaptive attitudes and business
agility, under readiness factor, has dropped from 50th to 60th.

TABLE 6.9. ASEAN COUNTRIES' WDC RANKING FOR

OVERALL, KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND FUTURE READINESS, 2018

COUNTRY OVERALL KNOWLEDGE TECHNOLOGY FUTURE READINESS

Singapore 2 1 1 15
Malaysia 27 17 22 29
Thailand 39 44 28 49
Philippines 56 50 58 52
Indonesia 62 61 59 62
Vietnam – – – –
Myanmar – – – –
Cambodia – – – –
Brunei – – – –
Lao (PDR) – – – –
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 89

6.6
AFFORDABILITY DRIVERS INDEX
(ALLIANCE FOR AFFORDABLE INTERNET)26

SUMMARY The Affordability Drivers Index (ADI) is an assessment of the drivers

of internet affordability. The ADI spans 61 countries and zooms in two
key aspects influencing affordability: communications infrastructure
and access.

The ADI is contained in the Affordability Report, which examines

how the policies to accelerate access to affordable Internet have
progressed across 61 low- and middle-income countries.

C R IT E R I A The ADI looks at two broad categories of indicators: infrastructure

and access.

The infrastructure sub-index measures the current extent of

infrastructure deployment and operations, alongside the policy
and regulatory frameworks in place to incentivize and enable cost-
effective investment in future infrastructure expansion. Variables
included in this sub-index include, for example, the amount of
international bandwidth available in a particular country, and an
assessment of a nation’s spectrum policy.

The access sub-index measures current broadband adoption rates

and the policy and regulatory frameworks in place to encourage
growth and ensure provision of affordable and equitable access. This
sub-index includes variables such as current internet penetration
rates and an assessment of the effectiveness of a country’s Universal
Service and Access Funds.

26 https://a4ai.org/affordability-report/
90 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

The following tables show the different indicators within each

category. Each data is classified either as primary data and secondary
data. Primary data is collected from a survey constructed by the
Alliance for Affordable Internet, Web Foundation, and many other
advisers from different countries. The survey includes questions
on “issues regarding policy, regulation, and various other aspects
around broadband and affordable access to the internet.” Conversely,
secondary data refers to data collected from existing providers or
institutions.

TABLE 6.10. ASEAN COUNTRIES' WDC RANKING FOR

OVERALL, KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND FUTURE READINESS, 2018

TYPE INDICATORS
Clear, time-bound targets in National Broadband Plan for reducing cost & increas-
Primary
ing penetration
Primary USAFs used to subsidize access for underserved and underprivileged populations
Primary ICT regulatory decisions informed by adequate evidence
Primary Specific policies to promote free or low-cost access
To what extent have Universal Access/Service Funds (USF) prioritized infrastruc-
Primary ture investments that will reduce costs and increase access for underserved com-
munities and market segments?
To what extent does the gov’t ICT regulator perform its functions according to
Primary published and transparent rules, with the ICT regulatory decisions influenced by
public consultations?
To what extent do the country’s broadband policies include strategies and pro-
Primary
grams to improve access and use among women and girls?
Secondary Market Concentration – Herfindahl Index (HHI)
Secondary Existence of National Broadband Plan
Secondary Mobile broadband connections (% of all connections)
Secondary Cluster of ITU indicators (bundled)
Secondary Percentage of individuals using the Internet
Secondary Market penetration – Mobile Internet unique subscribers
Secondary Smartphone – adoption
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 91

TABLE 6.11. AFFORDABILITY DRIVERS INDEX,

ACCESS SUB-INDEX, DATA SOURCES
AND DESCRIPTION

TYPE INDICATORS
Primary Flexible, technology & service neutral ICT licensing frameworks
Primary Specific guidelines for public infrastructure funding & telecoms subsidies
Time bound gov’t plan to make available broadband spectrum for high-speed data
Primary
services
Primary Transparent, competitive and fair process for increasing spectrum availability
To what extent does the regulator and/or the competition commission enforce the
Primary
country's ICT licensing requirements and regulations?
National policies in place facilitating efficient access to public rights of way & tow-
Primary
er zoning permissions
To what extent does the government facilitate resource sharing across telecom-
Primary
munications operators?
Secondary International bandwidth per Internet user (bits/s)
Secondary Investment per telecom subscriber (average over 3 years)
Secondary Secure Internet servers (per 1 million people)
Secondary Electrification Rate
Secondary Existence of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
Secondary Existence of Number portability between mobile network operators
Secondary 3G Network coverage, by population

The Philippines ranked 31st out of 61 countries. One of the key findings
of the report is that island archipelagos such as the Philippines face
a particular challenge in providing affordable internet. Industry cost
incurred in providing broadband access for an island archipelago
nation is five times higher than the cost for coastal nations.
92 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

TABLE 6.12. ASEAN COUNTRIES' ACCESSIBILITY

DRIVERS INDEX, 2018

RANKING COUNTRY ACCESS INFRASTRUCTURE ADI

1 Malaysia 95.9 60.8 82.44
9 Thailand 77.5 50.36 67.71
16 Indonesia 73.42 43.88 62.12
25 Vietnam 58.65 46.03 55.44
30 Myanmar 48.45 52.48 53.46
31 Philippines 55.15 43.04 52
38 Cambodia 52.75 39.7 48.96
– Singapore – – –
– Brunei – – –
– Lao (PDR) – – –

6.7 INCLUSIVE INTERNET INDEX

[ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT]

SUMMARY Commissioned by Facebook and conducted by The Economist

Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Inclusive Internet Index aims to quantify
the extent to which the Internet is “relevant to all, allowing usage
that enables positive social and economic outcomes at individual and
group level.”27

C R IT E R I A The index assesses the performance of 86 countries in four categories

of inclusion: Accessibility, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness. Its
primary objective is to construct a framework for the current state
of internet inclusion around the world, and to help policymakers and
important stakeholders “gain a clearer understanding of the factors
that contribute to wider and sustainable inclusion."28
27 https://theinclusiveinternet.eiu.com/about
28 https://theinclusiveinternet.eiu.com/assets/external/downloads/3i-
bridging-digital-divides.pdf
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 93

The index looks at four broad categories:29

Availability: Refers to the quality and breadth of available

infrastructure required for access. The category looks at use of the
Internet, the quality of the Internet connection, and the type and
quality of infrastructure available for Internet access and electricity
access in both urban and rural areas of the country.

Affordability: Looks at the cost of access to the Internet and considers

initiatives, whether private or public, to decrease costs or promote
access in other ways. Cost of access relative to income is a critical
factor in Internet adoption. The category includes factors that look
at price, such as the cost of a handset or fixed-line broadband, and
the competitive environment for wireless and broadband operators.

Relevance: Describes the value of being connected, in terms of

useful services and content and the availability of local content. The
category measures the availability of local content, such as whether
basic information or government services are available online in the
local language. It also measures whether content and services that
stimulate economic activity, such as those relating to health, finance,
commerce or entertainment, are available online. The category
includes measures of the value of the Internet to consumers.

Readiness: A measure of the capacity among Internet users to take

advantage of being online. The category looks at measures such
as the level of literacy and educational attainment, the level of web
accessibility, privacy regulations, the level of trust in different sources
of information found online, national female e-inclusion policies and
spectrum policy.

29 https://theinclusiveinternet.eiu.com/assets/external/downloads/
3i-methodology.pdf
94 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Each category receives a score, calculated from a weighted average

of the underlying indicator scores, and scores are scaled from 0 to
100, where 100 indicates the strongest environment for the adoption
and productive use of the Internet. Each category also has a weight
assigned to it:

TABLE 6.13. INCLUSIVE INTERNET INDEX

CATEGORY WEIGHTS

CATEGORY WEIGHTS
Availability 40%
Affordability 30%
Relevance 20%
Readiness 10%
TOTAL 100%

The Philippines had an overall rating of 65.7 placing to the 54th rank.
The study has also concluded that the country had an average gender
gap of 14.3% in favor of women and is on top of the index in the said
matrix. Other top performers are mostly high-income countries such
as France, UK, and South Korea.
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 95

TABLE 6.14. ASEAN COUNTRIES'

INCLUSIVE INTERNET INDEX
OVERALL RANKINGS, 201830

OVERALL RANKING COUNTRY OVERALL RATING

2 Singapore 89.1
28 Malaysia 78.7
31 Thailand 77.8
43 Vietnam 72.4
49 Indonesia 68.0
54 Philippines 65.7
65 Myanmar 57.2
72 Cambodia 53.3
– Brunei –
– Lao (PDR) –

30 https://theinclusiveinternet.eiu.com/explore/countries/performance
96 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

6.8 E-GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT INDEX

(UNITED NATIONS)31

SUMMARY The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) assesses e-government

development at the national level. Its primary objective is to measure
the readiness and capacity of national institutions to use ICTs to
deliver public services.

The EDGI is a tool of analysis under the United Nations E-Government

Survey, which aids in the implementation of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) by providing new analysis and evidence to utilize the
potential of e-government. It also examines how governments can
leverage on information technologies to build sustainable and resilient
societies.

C R IT E R I A EDGI is a composite index based on the weighted average of three

normalized indices: (1) Telecommunications Infrastructure Index (TII)
based on data provided by the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU), (2) Human Capital Index (HCI) based on data provided by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), and (3) the Online Service Index (OSI) based on data
collected from an independent survey questionnaire, conducted
by UNDESA, which assesses the national online presence of all 193
United Nations Member States.

The Philippines has slipped from 71st rank in 2016 to 75th in 2018.
Despite this, the country is few lower middle-income countries which
earned a score higher than the global EGDI average of 0.55.

31 https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/Portals/egovkb/Documents/
un/2018-Survey/E-Government%20Survey%202018_FINAL%20for%20web.
pdf
 STRATEGIC INDICATORS 97

TABLE 6.15. ASEAN COUNTRIES' E-GOVERNMENT

DEVELOPMENT INDEX, RANKINGS
AND RATINGS, 201832

RANKING COUNTRY RATING

7 Singapore 0.8812
48 Malaysia 0.7174
59 Brunei 0.6923
73 Thailand 0.6543
75 Philippines 0.6512
88 Vietnam 0.5931
107 Indonesia 0.5258
145 Cambodia 0.3753
157 Myanmar 0.3328
162 Lao (PDR) 0.3056

32 https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center
 MOVING FORWARD 99

MOVING
FORWARD
In order to ensure that the NICTEF retains its relevance and remains
attuned to both evolving developmental requirements as well as
dynamic innovation in ICTs, the DICT with its stakeholder partners shall
maintain and engage in processes that allow for ongoing inputs to and
periodic reviews of and revisions to the framework.

In order to foster multistakeholder participation and operationalize

the NICTEF as a living document, the DICT will pursue the following
activities.

7.1 PERIODICAL UPDATE PROCESS

Beginning June 2019, and every June thereafter, the NICTEF will be open
to updates, coursed through the CIO Council and the Sectoral and
Industry Task Forces. Sub-committees will be created at the Regional
level to aid in this process to more effectively respond and cater to the
needs of the countryside.

Updates will be posted on the NICTEF Website. The objective is to

ensure that the national ICT agenda continues to be relevant and
responsive to the values, vision, and mission of the ICT Ecosystem.
100 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

7.2 WEBSITE

A NICTEF website will be established to serve a platform for the

stakeholders to communicate with the DICT and to contain information
and updates on the framework which may include the following:

Descriptions of the individual project profiles;

Working papers, photo gallery and results of focus group discussions,

consultations, and other data gathering activities used and conducted
in creating the NICTEF;

Forums and interactive polls will be posted on a regular basis to gather

insights and comments on matters relevant to the implementation
of the NICTEF and encourage a more participatory and inclusive
approach of decision-making;

Blog posts from members of the CIO Council and Sectoral/Industry

Task Force;

Updates on the strategic Indicators to provide the stakeholders an

idea as to what areas of the ICT ecosystem need improvement;

Copies of Memorandum of Understanding or Memorandum of

Agreement with other national government agencies, local government
units, civil society organizations, among others; and

Administrative Orders, Memorandum Circulars, etc.

The website’s URL will be www.ictecosystem.org.ph with the official

hashtag #nictef. The website is set to be launched during the first
quarter of 2019.
 MOVING FORWARD 101

7.3 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

In order to disseminate information and to promote the goals and

strategies of the NICTEF to a wider audience, the DICT together with
its partners will be conducting various advocacy campaigns.

Publication of the NICTEF, including brochures and teasers, shall be

distributed to libraries and local government executives.

Information dissemination using mass media such as posting of

articles in newsprint, creating posters, radio and television guestings
or appearances.

Audio visual presentations containing information on the objectives

and strategies of the NICTEF to be posted on social media. These
presentations shall also be made in various dialects to accommodate
more audiences especially in areas outside of Metro Manila.

Feedback and discussion groups will also be made available on social

media designed to collect opinions on the ongoing and future activities
for the implementation of NICTEF.

Regional Consultations will also be conducted for coordination and

updating of the ICT projects being undertaken by the locality and
to also serve as a medium for the regional stakeholders to propose
projects to be undertaken which will further promote the strategies
of the NICTEF.

Annual NICTEF Conference, where project proponents will be given a

venue to present their updates to stakeholders, will also be conducted.
The conference will also be a venue for other stakeholders to express
their suggestions and queries on the projects to be presented. This
will also be an opportunity for the stakeholders to identify possible
areas for partnerships and collaborations.
102 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Commitment Sessions will also be organized where stakeholders can

formalize their commitment to NICTEF participation through various
resolutions or memorandum of agreements, as appropriate. These
sessions will help ensure that roles of the stakeholders are clearly laid
out and functions are appropriately distributed.

7.4 KEY AUDIENCES FOR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

The DICT will target to invite the following audiences during the
conduct of the abovementioned advocacy campaigns:

Current and potential partners from the private sector and civil
society, including academe, research institutions, development
agencies, and international funding and technical organizations;

Professional associations, chambers of commerce, and industry or

trade groups;

Marginalized groups to be able to gather first-hand information on

how NICTEF would be more responsive of the needs of the underserved
groups;

Press or media to cover events of the NICTEF and publish reports and
articles for better dissemination of public information;

Local government units and regional committees, who are more well
informed of the situation of the locals, shall also be invited during
regional consultations;

Other national agencies to ensure that the goals and endeavors of

the NICTEF and the vision and mission of other sectors and aligned
and are in harmony; and

Congress and other regional or local legislatures to better relay and

discuss the policies, regulations and standards to be drafted for the
implementation of NICTEF.
 APPENDICES A–1

APPENDIX A
PROJECT PROFILES
(as of February 2019)

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

PARTICIPATORY E-GOVERNANCE
The National Government Portal (NGP) is a single
window containing all online information and oper-
ational infrastructures, and public services of the
government. Citizens can log in to the portal and
National Government access government services through online filling
Ongoing of forms and payment. The NGP was established to
Portal
facilitate a more open and transparent government,
promote the efficient delivery of public services;
and improve collaboration and partnership among
government services.
The EGMP 2022 serves as the blueprint for a har-
monized government information system. The plan
outlines DICT’s intent of developing the country’s
e-Government systems through the digital transfor-
E-Government
Proposed mation of basic services such as public health, basic
Masterplan 2022 education, and other programs that cut across the
whole of government. It aims to create a networked
and collaborative environment for improved public
service delivery.
From the Electronic Business Permit and Licensing
System (eBPLS) which aims to computerize business
permits and licensing system through its cloud-
Integrated Business based eBPLS software, the Integrated Business Per-
Permits and Licensing Proposed mits and Licensing System (iBPLS) Project envisions
System (iBPLS) to streamline the processing not only of business
permits but also including the processing of build-
ing permits, certificate of occupancy and barangay
clearances.

INDUSTRY AND COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT

The digitalcitiesPH aims to establish ICT hubs out-
side of the metro and create job and investment
opportunities thereby promoting countryside de-
velopment. This also intends to expand further ex-
digitalcitiesPH Ongoing pand the IT - BPM Industry of the country by devel-
oping more host locations especially the untapped
locations which are good possible options beyond
the more established hubs like Metro Manila, Metro
Cebu, Metro Clark and Bacolod City.
A–2 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

INDUSTRY AND COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT (CONT'D)

This is a comprehensive document which details
policy and legal framework, and provides technical
guidance for concerned stakeholders, measures for
Digital Terrestrial fiscal considerations as necessary, and communica-
Television Broadcasting: tions strategies for public awareness for the smooth
Comprehensive Ongoing implementation. The migration process aims that
Nationwide broadcasting services currently delivered through
Implementation the analog network will be fully replicated and pro-
visioned for the digital network, through the Inte-
grated Services Digital Broadcasting–Terrestrial
(ISDB-T) standard.
The program aims to promote and develop the on-
line freelancing industry / home-based outsourcing
through advocacy workshops and technical train-
Rural Impact Sourcing Ongoing ings in the rural areas. This is intended to create
meaningful ICT-enabled jobs in socio-economically
disadvantaged areas in the country.
The seedPH Program aims to develop the Philippine
Startup Ecosystem and spread the economic poten-
tial of digital entrepreneurship in the countryside. It
works with local startup communities in advocating
seedPH Ongoing and providing interventions that encourage the for-
mation of digital startups and build the capacity of
Filipinos to become successful innovators and digi-
tal entrepreneurs.
Stepping-Up the Value Chain Program is a long-term
strategy that strengthens the country’s global po-
sitioning in targeted high-growth segments of the
IT-BPM industry, including healthcare information
management outsourcing; finance, accounting and
Stepping Up the
Ongoing insurance outsourcing; HR outsourcing; Multilingual
Value Chain BPO; IT Outsourcing; Creative Process Outsourcing;
Engineering Outsourcing. Its major target is to con-
duct industry capacity/ capability building through
the provision of industry trainings, seminars, work-
shops and Rural Impact Sourcing.
The Technology for Education, Employment, Entre-
preneurs, and Economic Development (Tech4ED)
Project promotes digital inclusion by establishing
eCenters as access points for ICT-enabled services
Tech4ED Ongoing to various communities. The project addresses the
issue on bridging the digital divide in the country by
bringing ICT facilities to the unserved and under-
served areas.
 APPENDICES A–3

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

INDUSTRY AND COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT (CONT'D)

The Project is a development of a strategic plan to
assess the spectrum economics related to improv-
ing broadband access and economic benefits of
spectrum in the entire country, including the identi-
fication of appropriate methodologies in setting up
Spectrum Roadmap Proposed a spectrum monitoring system or framework. The in-
stitution and use of an SRM is a high-level document
that helps articulate the strategies and reasons in
addressing the spectrum-driven requirements of
the evolving ICT ecosystem and the digital economy.

RESOURCE SHARING AND CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH ICT

The Digital Literacy Training Project seeks to pro-
mote digital literacy for the special needs sector
such as out-of-school of youth, senior citizen, and
Digital Literacy persons with disability through the conduct of train-
Ongoing ings. The project also aspires to increase ICT Liter-
Training Project
acy in the Special needs sector so that they would
be able to cope up with the current trends and live-
lihood.
The Medium-Term Information and Communica-
tions Technology Harmonization Initiative (MITHI)
is an e-Government and ICT support initiative that
aims to harmonize ICT-related resources, programs
and projects in all agencies and on all levels of the
bureaucracy. The project aims to: (i) To ensure a
systematic process for the planning, budgeting,
Government-wide
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gov-
Medium-term ICT Ongoing ernment-wide ICT projects; (ii) To ensure the co-
Harmonization Initiative herence of ICT programs and projects of the Gov-
ernment and its consistency with the five (5) Key
Result Areas (KRA) of the Administration as laid out
in EO no. 43 and the Philippine Development Plan
2011-2016; and (iii) To promote synergy among gov-
ernment agencies in planning and implementation of
on-going and upcoming ICT programs and projects.

IMPROVED PUBLIC LINKS AND CONNECTIVITY

The Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Proj-
ect aims to provide free broadband Internet access
to cities and municipalities nationwide. Through
Free Wi-Fi Internet Ac-
the project, free public Wi-Fi will be made available
cess in Public Places Ongoing in public plazas and parks; public libraries, schools,
Project colleges and universities; rural health units and gov-
ernment hospitals; train stations, airports, and sea-
ports; and national and local government offices
A–4 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

IMPROVED PUBLIC LINKS AND CONNECTIVITY (CONT'D)

The Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Proj-
ect aims to provide free broadband Internet access
to cities and municipalities nationwide. Through
Free Wi-Fi Internet Ac-
the project, free public Wi-Fi will be made available
cess in Public Places Ongoing in public plazas and parks; public libraries, schools,
Project colleges and universities; rural health units and gov-
ernment hospitals; train stations, airports, and sea-
ports; and national and local government offices
The Government Network (GovNet) develops fiber
optic cables to connect government agencies to a
data center which acts as the medium of commu-
nication, traffic controller, server and applications
host, and keeper and manage of data. GovNet spe-
cifically desires to: (i) establish a redundant fiber
backbone to directly connect major agencies to a
single government network; (ii) connect this agen-
Government Network Ongoing cies to a common data center where government
agencies can share resources for common services;
(iii) set up sectoral government registries which will
be housed in the common data center; and (iv) es-
tablish a common data center will act as the medium
of communications, traffic controller, server and ap-
plication host, and keeper and manager of common
government data.
The National Broadband Program (NBP) is the seeks
to accelerate the deployment of fiber optic cables
National Broadband Pro- and wireless technologies to improve the Internet
Ongoing speed in the country. The NBP may enhance ICT-re-
gram
lated services by establishing better broadband ac-
cess.
The National Government Data Center (NGDC) is a
launching point of government services like cloud
computing, web hosting, server colocation, and
other operations. The NGDC will enable faster data
National Government exchange and collaboration among government
Data Center (NGDC) Ongoing agencies as it provides centralized servers and co-
Project location and storage facilities. The centers are op-
erating 24/7 and are fully equipped with network
equipment and connectivity, data storage facilities,
cooling, security, power, monitoring, and fire-pro-
tection systems
 APPENDICES A–5

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

IMPROVED PUBLIC LINKS AND CONNECTIVITY (CONT'D)

The Philippine Roadmap for 5G Technologies and
Beyond is one of the initiatives of the government
that is poised to lay down the groundwork for the
development, planning and implementation of 5G
and Beyond-based technologies. This roadmap also
intends to provide specific strategies that will ready
Philippine Roadmap for the key sectors on the upcoming implementation,
Proposed development of use cases, setting and adoption of
5G Technology
specification and standards for 5G Technologies
and Beyond. The technology roadmap also aims the
creation of national ecosystem that will support the
policy, regulatory, legal, technical, commercial and
economic and financial aspects of the aforesaid
technologies.

ICT USER PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY

The Data Privacy Breach and Security Incident Re-
Data Privacy Breach and
porting System is an initiative of the National Priva-
Security Incident Ongoing cy Commission which seeks to establish an accessi-
Reporting System ble, responsive and easy-to-use complaints system.

The National Cybersecurity Plan 2022 addresses the

cyber threats and creates innovative measures for a
secure and resilient cyberspace for the Philippines.
National CyberSecurity The NCSP 2022 will serve as an institutional frame-
Ongoing work and foundation where cybersecurity policies
Plan 2022
and initiatives will be developed, formulated, and
prepared. The plan will be of help in combating cyber
threats and promoting a safe ICT environment.
The Cybersecurity Management System is a whole
platform of technologies and tools house at the DICT
Security Operation Center (SOC). The platform will
assist the National Computer Emergency Response
Cybersecurity
Proposed Team (NCERT) to accelerate intelligence and facili-
Management System tate rapid incident response. NCERT focuses on the
day-to-day protection of the Critical Infostruction
(CII), Government Network (Public and Military), In-
dividuals; and Business and Supply chains.
A–6 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

ENABLING AND SUSTAINABLE ICT ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTION

The Alternative Dispute Resolution System for Data
Privacy Complaints hopes to establish a processing/
Alternative Dispute
docketing system for the cases filed to the Nation-
Resolution System for Proposed al Privacy Commission. The project seeks to benefit
Data Privacy Complaints data subjects, personal information controllers and
processors.
The Women’s ICT Development Index (WIDI) is part of
the government’s effort to mainstream ICT gender
initiatives of the country, and the need for the coun-
Women’s ICT try to have its own ICT-related statistics and estab-
Proposed lish its own ICT-related database in order to identify
Development Index
areas where the gender digital divide reside in or-
der to inform the Philippines’ ICT policy and address
these gaps.
 APPENDICES B–1

APPENDIX B
PROJECTS PROPOSED
FOR INCLUSION

PROPOSED PROJECT/
PROJECT PROPONENT/S
PLAN/PROGRAM
Broadband Benchmarking/Monitoring National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)
National Digital ID Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
SIM Card Registration Department of Info/Comms Technology (DICT)
ISSP Template Revisions DICT
CyberSecurity Compliance Program DICT
CyberSecurity Assessor Certification DICT
Technology Foresight Council DICT
ICT Common Operating Environment DICT
ICT Implementation Guide/Standards DICT
Mandated Infostructure Assessment DICT
eHealth 2023 Roadmap Department of Health (DOH)
Department of the Interior
Household Tracking System
and Local Government (DILG)
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Homegrown ICT Devices
and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
Filipinnovation Roadmap DTI and DOST
Philippine Business Registry DTI
Regional Geographical Info System National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
Intelligent Transport System Department of Transportation (DOTr)
Smart Cities Roadmap NEDA, DICT, DOTR, DILG, NTC
National Single Window Department of Finance (DOF)
B–2 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

PROPOSED PROJECT/
PROJECT PROPONENT/S
PLAN/PROGRAM
National Mapping and
National Spatial Infrastructure
Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA)
CIO & DPO in every NGA/LGU DILG and DICT
e-Citizen Education Department of Education (DepEd)
TBIs for Agriculture DICT and Department of Agriculture (DA)
TBIs for Tourism DICT and Department of Tourism (DOT)
National IT Education Master Plan Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and DepEd
STEAM Career Advocacy CHED, DepEd, DOST
National Disaster Risk Reduction
“Phil-Aware” Disaster Recovery
and Management Council (NDRRMC)
TVWS Emergency Comms System NDRRMC
 APPENDICES C–1

APPENDIX C
SUBMISSION FORM

Project Profile of Enter Project Title here.

Enter Name and E-mail Address of Person to be Contacted for further

details. Please obtain consent from the person for his/her details to be
Contact Details published in the NICTEF. Alternatively, an institutional e-mail address
may be provided.

Website (if any) Enter URL here.

Lead Proponent Enter Name of Lead Agency/Organization here.

Enter Name of Any Supporting Partner Agency/
Partners (if any) Organization here.

Beneficiaries Describe/Enumerate Project Beneficiaries here.

Framework Elements Addressed (Place a check mark under “3” for the key framework el-
ement impacted by this project. Only one element can be assigned a score of “3”. A check under
“2” or “1” indicates that there is some impact on this element, but to a lesser degree.)

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS 1 2 3
Human Capital: Talents and Skills

Accessibility and Affordability of Devices

Platforms, Apps, Content, and Data

Infostructure/Infrastructure

Standards, Regulations and Policies

C–2 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Strategic Trends/Enablers (Place a number beside each strategic trend/

enabler below which have a major effect on this project; choose at least "1" and at most"5".)

STRATEGIC TRENDS/ENABLERS
Fourth Industrial Revolution

Artificial Intelligence

Big Data

Cloud Computing

Internet of Things

Blockchain

5G Networks

Smart Cities

Intelligent Transport

Fintech

Health Informatics

Cyber Resilience

Future Skills

Capacity Building
 APPENDICES C–3

Framework Elements Addressed (Place a check mark under “3” for the key framework el-
ement impacted by this project. Only one element can be assigned a score of “3”. A check under
“2” or “1” indicates that there is some impact on this element, but to a lesser degree.)

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS 1 2 3
Participatory e-Governance

Industry and Countryside Development

Resource Sharing and Capacity Building Through ICT

Improved Public Links and Connectivity

ICT User Protection and Information Security

Enabling and Sustainable ICT Environment

Accomplishments Describe Accomplishments To-Date.

Expected Outcomes Describe the Outcomes which are expected.

Timeframe Start Date and End Date of the project

On an annual basis, give the Annual Spend: actual expendi-
Budget (Actual/Forecast) tures (for past years) and projected spend (forward looking).
 APPENDICES D–1

APPENDIX D
MULTISTAKEHOLDER
ACTIVITIES

D.1 PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES

PARTNERSHIP WITH ISOC

In the drafting of the National ICT Ecosystem Framework (NICTEF) and
subsequent work on other DICT projects and programs, DICT sought
to adopt more inclusive and participatory processes. To this end, DICT
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Asia Pacific Bureau
of the Internet Society (ISOC APAC) on July 05, 2018 at the Office of
the Secretary. The ceremony was graced by ISOC Asia Pacific Bureau
Regional Director Rajnesh Singh, other representatives of ISOC APAC
and ISOC Philippines Chapter, DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio
Jr. and the department’s team leading the development of NICTEF.
The Internet Society (ISOC) having extensive experience in global
multistakeholder processes shall assist DICT in fostering cooperation,
collaboration, and coordination in policy making. Together DICT and
ISOC shall promote the multistakeholder governance approach in
the development and implementation of key ICT plans, projects and
programs. Thus DICT has requested ISOC’s participation in the crafting
of the NICTEF as well as in conducting Focused Group Discussions and
Multistakeholder consultations.
D–2 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

FOOTPRINTING IN CEBU CITY, DECEMBER 14, 2017

Total of 37 participant

72.22% of which were male, remaining 27.78% are female

72.22% from NGAs, 8.33% from LGU, 8.33% from academe, 11.12% from
the private sector

The Footprinting was conducted for all the stakeholders in order to

enable the attendees to:

Identify ICT-related issues from their respective perspectives which

can be addressed through the development of the NICTEF;

Explain the significance of ICT-related and -enabled initiatives of their

respective offices; and

Generate action items in order to address the indicated ICT-related

issues through the development of the NICTEF.

AWARENESS BUILDING IN ICCT COLLEGES, CAINTA,

RIZAL, MARCH 24, 2018

Around 600 participants, attendees were electronics engineering

and computer engineering students, and faculty members of ICCT
Colleges.

An overview of the NICTEF was presented along with the other

plans and programs of the DICT such as Digital Terrestrial Television
Broadcasting Migration Plan, E-Government Masterplan 2022,
National Broadband Plan, etc.
 APPENDICES D–3

AWARENESS BUILDING IN UNIVERSITY OF CEBU,

BANILAD, CEBU

Around 100 participants, attendees were electronics engineering

students of University of Cebu

Presented the overview of NICTEF which includes its commitment

to other aspects of the ICT environment, strategic thrust, and key
stakeholder groups

PRE-SURVEY

Prior to the conduct of each Focus Group Discussion (FGD) participants

were encouraged to respond to a pre-survey questionnaire which
included questions focused on their sectors. The pre-surveys elicited
discussion and action points, as well as ICT support needed by their
respective sectors and ICT projects being planned or currently
undertaken by their organizations. Rough outlines and bullet-points
based on the participants’ responses then served to initiate and
facilitate detailed discussions during the FGDs proper.

D.2 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS (THEMATIC)

The DICT conducted a series of six (6) Focus Group Discussions,

each focusing on the strategic thrusts of the NICTEF. The FGDs were
conducted to serve as platforms to: (1) assess needs as encapsulated
in the pre-survey; (2) Conceptualize goals to be achieved by the year
2030; (3) formulate projects or initiatives that can be completed
by 2022 which will aid in the achievement of the goals; (4) prioritize
projects through interactive online voting; and; (5) assess how well
the Philippines is currently performing in the areas of the proposed
projects.
D–4 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

FGD ON PARTICIPATORY E-GOVERNANCE

Participants:

66.67% are male, 33.33% are female

From the following agencies/organizations: DILG, DICT-PSD, FMA, ISOC

PH, DICT- MITHI, NPC, ULAP, CEvans Management Consulting

The strategic thrust on participatory e-governance seeks to deepen

citizen participation in governmental processes by examining the
assumptions and practices of the traditional view that generally
hinders the realization of a genuine participatory democracy. The track
also addresses the interrelated questions of citizen competence,
empowerment, and capacity building as they relate to participatory
governance, and evaluates the impact of participatory governance
on service delivery, social equity, and political representation.

Participants identified projects which need to be undertaken in order

to achieve the goals of the thrust. The top three projects were: (1) fully-
integrated, interoperable, and secure online government system; (2)
National digital ID which allows for varying levels of authentication,
protects privacy, and prevents identity theft; and (3) Affordable and
ubiquitous connectivity.

FGD ON INDUSTRY AND COUNTRYSIDE DEV'T

Participants:

33.33% are male and 66.67% are female

50% from National Government Agencies, 44.44% from the private

sector, and 5.56% from the academe
 APPENDICES D–5

This thrust takes into consideration quantity, quality and scalability

of talent, availability of infrastructure, competitive cost of doing
business, government support and business environment in sustaining
the benefits and addressing the challenges of the digital economy.
Bringing ICTs to the countryside will aid in achieving inclusive economic
growth in the country.

Among the projects identified to be undertaken to achieve the goals

of the thrust, the top three were: (1) intelligent transportation system;
(2) ICT infrastructure; and (3) reforms/amendments in Public Service/
telecom regulations.

FGD ON RESOURCE SHARING AND

CAPACITY BUILING THROUGH ICT

Participants:

63.16% are male and 36.84% are female

57.89% from the private sector, 26.32% from NGAs, 15.79% are from
the academe

This thrust focuses on the essentials for the development and

protection of integrated government ICT infrastructures and designs,
taking into consideration the inventory of existing workforce, plans,
programs, software, hardware, and installed systems.
Participants identified projects which need to be undertaken in order
to achieve the goals of the thrust. The top three projects were: (1)
National Broadband Plan; (2) Comprehensive localized standards/
guidelines for ICT implementation; and (3) National IT Education
Master Plan.
D–6 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

FGD ON IMPROVED PUBLIC LINKS

AND CONNECTIVITY

Participants:

61.53% are male and 38.46% are female

80.77% from the private sector and 19.23% from NGAs

This thrust covers discussion on leveraging connectivity to streamline

business processes, reduce costs and improve efficiency, enterprises
will drive innovation and move the focus from a consumer driven
Internet to an industrial one.

Participants identified projects which need to be undertaken in order

to achieve the goals of the thrust. The top three projects were: (1)
National Broadband/ Free WiFi and Implementation; (2) Standard LGU
code of telecommunication policies; (3) Augmentation of NTC powers
and functions.

FGD ON ICT USER PROTECTION

AND INFORMATION SECURITY

Participants:

57.14% are male and 42.86% are female

47.62% are from the private sector, 38.10% are from NGAs, 14.28% from
the academe

Information security central purpose is to protect and preserve the

confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. It may also
involve protecting and preserving the authenticity and reliability of
information and ensuring that entities can be held accountable.
 APPENDICES D–7

This track should consider several issues including end user

computing security, information classification, file management,
back-up, handling of sensitive or confidential data, responsible use
of the Internet including email, data protection legislation, disaster
planning and system continuity. It includes ensuring that entities,
systems, and processes can exchange information in a safe and
secure ICT environment.

Participants identified projects which need to be undertaken in order

to achieve the goals of the thrust. The top three projects were: (1)
Privacy Impact Assessment and Control Measures for National ID; (2)
Required Sections in ISSP for Tier 1 Budgeting; and (3) Cybersecurity
Compliance Certification Program.

FGD ON ENABLING AND

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Participants:

58.82% are male and 41.18% are female

41.18% are from the private sector, 41.18% are from NGAs, 17.64% are
from the academe

This thrust explores how the Internet and the ICT and related
research communities can help tackle environmental challenges
in the country through more environmentally sustainable models
of economic development, and examines the status of current and
emerging environmentally-friendly technologies, equipment and
applications in supporting programs aimed at addressing climate
change and improving energy efficiency, considering also the digital
divide between gender groups and ensuring that the benefits of ICT
are accessible to all.
D–8 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

Participants identified projects which need to be undertaken in order

to achieve the goals of the thrust. The top three projects were: (1)
Program Management to avoid silo implementation; (2) Technology
Foresight Council; (3) Consolidation of data into Phil-Aware.

D.3 REGIONAL MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS

NICTEF Multistakeholder Consultations were conducted across Luzon,

Visayas, and Mindanao to generate inputs and recommendations for
enhancing the framework. During the consultations, presentation of
the draft framework was made in three parts. First “What is NICTEF?”,
followed by a discussion on “What is the Dream of NICTEF?”, and finally
“How is the Dream Achieved?” Participants were divided into groups
according to their related sectors to discuss among themselves and
craft their comments and inputs during each breakout session.

REGIONAL MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

IN ILOILO CITY

Participants:

98 participants in total

61.22% are male and 38.78% are female

57.14% from NGAs, 10.20% are LGUs, 7.14% from the academe, and
25.51% from the private sector
 APPENDICES D–9

REGIONAL MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

IN MALOLOS CITY

Participants:

110 participants in total

67.27% are male and 32.73% are female

24.55% are from NGAs, 25.45% are from LGUs, 40% from the academe,
and 10% from the private sector

REGIONAL MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

Participants:

105 participants in total

50.48% are male and 49.52% are female

66.66% are from NGAs, 4.76% are from LGUs, 14.29% are from the
academe, 14.29% from the private sector
D–10 NATIONAL ICT ECOSYSTEM FRAMEWORK

REGIONAL MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

IN MANILA

Participants:

54 participants in total

53.70% are male and 46.30% are female

64.81% are from NGAs, 35.19% are from the private sector

ONLINE PUBLIC SURVEY

In order to reach a wider audience outside of the consultations and

generate more input from diverse groups of stakeholders, the DICT
in partnership with ISOC also developed and published an online
public survey. The survey consisted of 10 questions mainly focusing
on identifying key issues which may be addressed through ICTs.
Respondents were given the option to answer the survey in either
English or the Filipino language.

Among the 196 respondents, 88.78 % have responded in English 11.22%

in Filipino. 44.38% of the respondents are from the government sector,
26.02% from the information technology or engineering industry,
5.10% from the research and academe, 4.59% from the civil society,
4.08% from Internet/ telecommunications industry, 3.57% each are
professional, online worker, and others, 3.06% from business, 1.53%
are overseas Filipino workers, 0.53% from technical organizations.
 APPENDICES D–11

D.4 ADDITIONAL COLLABORATION

AND PARTNERSHIPS

FUTURE VALUE OF DATA

The DICT co-hosted the Future Value of Data Workshop on September

24, 2018 with Facebook Asia Pacific. The workshop brought together
around 30 leaders and experts to explore and share views on the
regional and global key changes in the area of data. The workshop
was designed as a presentation-free event and instead focused on
scholarly debate and discussion regarding the value of data arising
globally. These issues included the role of data and its ownership,
stemming from corporate entities collecting huge amounts of
personal information and how they may exploit this data. The event
also aimed to come up with possible solutions and recommendations
to address the identified issues. This workshop was an opportunity
for the DICT to better understand other participants’ perspectives on
the area of discussion and the DICT will be able to use the outputs of
the workshop as inputs to NICTEF.

INDUSTRY IMMERSION

The DICT also conducted industry immersions with various industry

players. These immersions served as a venue for the DICT team to
explore current technologies which may be useful in the crafting some
of the initiatives to be laid out in the NICTEF.
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

C.P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman,

Quezon City, Philippines, 1101
www.dict.gov.ph
[email protected]
(+63-2) 920 0101

www.ictecosystem.org.ph
[email protected]