1. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
By
Abigail Pugal-Somera

2. DEFINITION
Information Management
•
•
is the collection and management of information from one or
more sources and the distribution of that information to one or
more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a
stake in, or a right to that information. Management means the
organization of and control over the structure, processing and
delivery of information.
entails organizing, retrieving, acquiring, securing and
maintaining information. It is closely related to and overlapping
with the practice of data management.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_management

3. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
FRAMEWORK

4. ICT FACILITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

5. TELECOMMUNICATIONS

6. TELECOMMUNICATIONS

7. PERSONAL COMPUTERS
MARKET
•
The personal computers market increased tremendously with
average annual sales estimated at 350,000 units. About 20% of
total sales is bought for home use, the rest for office and
business use (Velasco, UAP/CRC 1999).

8. INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
1995
• 19
1997
• 160
As of end 1997, Internet subscribers numbered 50,000 to 75,000
while an additional 150,000 to 225,000 nonsubscribers have
access to the Internet through schools, offices, and cyber cafes
(Velasco, UAP/CRC 1999).

9. SOFTWARE SERVICE
PROVIDERS
•
A UNIDO study (1997) showed that local software providers are
small, with very limited capital and capacity to develop
products that will satisfy government’s sophisticated
requirements. Government needs to address this through
policies and strategies that will stimulate capital formation and
encourage partnerships between local software and solution
providers and government. The situation also calls for a
government study on the possibility and implications of opening
up the procurement of huge ICT projects to global competition.

10. ICT POLICY ELEMENTS

11. COMMON OBJECTIVES OF ICT
POLICIES
• Increasing the benefits from information technology
• Helping people and organizations to adapt to new
circumstances and providing tools and models to respond
rationally to challenges posed by ICT
• Providing information and communication facilities, services
and management at a reasonable or reduced cost
• Improving the quality of services and products
• Encouraging innovations in technology development, use of
technology and general work flows
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

12. COMMON OBJECTIVES OF ICT
POLICIES
• Promoting information sharing, transparency and accountability
and reducing bureaucracy within and between organizations,
and towards the public at large
• Identifying priority areas for ICT development (areas that will
have the greatest positive impact on programmes, services and
customers)
• Providing citizens with a chance to access information; they
may further specify the quality of that access in terms of
media, retrieval performance, and so on
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

13. COMMON OBJECTIVES OF ICT
POLICIES
• Attaining a specified minimum level of information technology
resources for educational institutions and government agencies
• Supporting the concept of lifelong learning
• Providing individuals and organizations with a minimum level of
ICT knowledge, and the ability to keep it up to date
• Helping to understand information technology, its development
and its cross-disciplinary impact
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

14. COMMON ICT POLICY ELEMENTS
• Development of ICT infrastructure
Infrastructure development
Interoperation of information systems
Enhancement of public services
Cost savings in service delivery, purchasing, communication, etc.
Electronic commerce and secure transactions
Development of technological standards
•
Development of skills
Research and development
ICT education and training
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

15. COMMON ICT POLICY ELEMENTS
• Development of legislation and policies to correspond to the
requirements of new ICT
Diffusion of information technology
Development of ICT industries
Trade policies for ICT-related goods and services
Pricing and taxation of electronic services
Protection of intellectual property
Privacy of personal data
Protection of cultural and linguistic diversity
Protection against illegal and harmful content
Adoption of standards
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

16. COMMON ICT POLICY ELEMENTS
• Institutional development and coordination
Institutional and regulatory structures
National ICT development coordination
International interface and cooperation
• Access to ICT
Access to infrastructure
Access to information
•
Monitoring ICT
Monitoring the use of ICT
Measurement of the impact of ICT
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

17. FACTORS AFFECTING THE
FORMULATION OF NATIONAL ICT
POLICIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

18. NOTE
The effectiveness of an ICT policy in one country does
not guarantee that the same recipe would work in
another and many developing countries face similar
constraints that need to be taken into account when
ICT policies are formulated.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

19. FACTORS
•
•
ICT infrastructure is weak
•
Government involvement remains essential in the
construction of the infrastructure in the foreseeable future in
rural areas and remote locations. At the present time, only
large cities are sufficiently attractive for most private
developers, such as mobile phone and Internet service
providers.
ICT-related goods and services are made available on
suppliers' terms and low per capita purchasing power does not
allow markets to mature
•
low-cost computers (although technologically feasible) are
not available is largely because the development and trade of
ICT components are almost entirely supply-driven, taking into
account the needs of only the minority of potential users
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

20. FACTORS
•
•
Telecommunications monopolies still exist
•
The liberalization of international telecommunications is,
however, taking place painstakingly slowly, and retail prices
have practically nothing to do with transmission costs.
ICT readiness varies significantly between government
departments.
•
Departments and agencies operating in a naturally ICTintensive field are likely to be more advanced than others. A
government can help by identifying a coordinator agency to
maintain information about government ICT development
ventures.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

21. FACTORS
•
Public sector is a significant employer
•
Management structures and styles are not conducive
•
•
The computerization of routine functions allows governments
to reduce staff and simultaneously to improve the quality of
their services. The effectiveness of such moves is often
moderated by inflexibilities in employment contracts that limit
the scope for staff retrenchments.
Most failures in ICT application development are caused by
poor planning and management, and not by the lack of
resources or wrong technology choices.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

22. FACTORS
•
Governments are struggling to find money for basic public
services
•
•
Government budgets tend to be tight, especially in
developing countries, and this can create problems for
rational ICT development and hamper the ability to react
quickly to new requirements or to buy the latest technology.
The penetration and influence of the Internet are still minimal
•
The Internet is changing the way in which data and
information are collected and disseminated and how services
are provided to clients. Thus, most new systems should be
developed with either immediate or future Internet
connectivity in mind.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

23. FACTORS
•
Governments find it difficult to recruit and retain qualified ICT
staff.
•
A key constraint for the effective application of ICT in
developing countries is the shortage of human resources.
Apart from a lack of qualified ICT-system personnel, there is
often high turnover of such personnel which can seriously
hamper systems development or daily operations.
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

24. ASIAN ICT FACILITIES

30. ICT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PHILIPPINE
GOVERNMENT

31. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
•
•
1969 – “Evangelization” on the fundamental uses of
computers by then Exec Sec Alejandro Melchor
12 June 1971 – National Computer Center (NCC) was
established thru EO 322
1994 – government adopted the National Information
Technology Plan 2000 or NITP2000 and created the National
Information Technology Council as the central policy body on
ICT matters in the country

32. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
February 1998 – government launche IT21, which outlines the
country’s action agenda for ICT for the 21st century. One of
the plan’s goals is for government to harness the use of ICT in
improving its overall capacity and efficiency and thus enable
local and national governments to be strategic partners in
development. The plan promotes best practice ICT in
governance and encourages the outsourcing of government
ICT projects to stimulate industry growth.

33. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
The government formulated the Philippine Information
Infrastructure (PII), which will provide the telecommunications
systems and facility services, value-added network and
communications services, and information or content
management and applications services.

34. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
The setting up of the RPWEB through Administrative Order
No. 332 provided the needed impetus for the realization of the
PII. The RPWEB will serve as the country’s Intranet to achieve
interconnectivity and greater efficiencies in electronic
information and data interchange among government,
academe, and the industry and business sectors.

35. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
E-Commerce Law - defines the Philippine government’s
policies on electronic transactions and provides the legal
framework for the country’s participation in e-commerce,
opens vast opportunities for global trade and economic
growth.

36. GOVERNMENT
COMPUTERIZATION INITIATIVES
•
Three ICT parks offering competitive financial and tax
incentives for ICT business are now being developed in three
strategic sites: the Eastwood Cyber Park in Quezon City; the
Northgate Cyber Zone in Alabang; and the Fort BonifacioSilicon Alley IT Park in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. The first
Software Development Park has been set up at the Subic
Economic Zone, and the Ayala Group is planning to develop an
ICT park in Cebu.

37. INFORMATION SYSTEMS
APPLICATION

38. NETWORKING FACILITIES
•
•
•
“Stand-alone” applications are the prevailing mode
Sharing of database or communication network has not been
vigorously explored or adopted
Part of the problem could be the compartmentalized nature of
Philippine government offices. Information sharing among
government agencies is not encouraged, and ICT planning and
procurement are done in isolation, thus preventing the setting
up of needed integrated application systems that cut across
different agencies.

39. NETWORKING FACILITIES
•
•
Only a small percentage of existing government ICT facilities
can meet future computing and communication requirements;
hence, the need for massive upgrading and installation of
servers and client machines.
Data communication facilities are unavailable in many
locations. Even reliable voice communication services are
nonexistent in some remote parts of the country. Some
municipalities and barangays do not have reliable and
continuous electric power yet. In many areas, Internet access
can be obtained only by connecting to regional urban centers
like Naga in Southern Luzon, Iloilo and Cebu in the Visayas,
and Davao and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

40. SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND
TECHNOLOGICAL KNOW-HOW
•
ICT expertise and knowhow are a vital component of the
support infrastructure. Developing and maintaining
computerized information and communication systems require
a large pool of competent ICT professionals for systems
beyond office productivity and clerical applications. But we are
experiencing another brain drain in this field, as Filipino ICT
professionals get attracted to the high-paying ICT jobs
overseas. The situation is aggravated by the comparatively
low salaries and limited career opportunities that government
offers.

41. ICT STANDARDS IN
GOVERNMENT
•
The challenge is to ensure interoperability and compatibility
among the different information and communication systems
of government. The immediate task is to formulate,
disseminate and enforce a common set of ICT standards for
all government organizations.

42. ICT MANPOWER IN
GOVERNMENT
•
•
•
The 1997 NCC survey on the level of computerization in
government showed that only 1.5% or 4,120 of the total
282,888 employees in respondent agencies comprise the ICT
manpower complement, and about half of these are data
encoders and computer operators. The others are
programmers, systems analysts, and managers/administrators.
These data indicate the need for massive training and change
management in government agencies to retool the existing
manpower pool being tapped for ICT functions.
It is also imperative that agency heads be educated on ICT to
raise their appreciation level of the importance of ICT in
improving workplace processes and for policy formulation and
administration.

43. COMPUTERIZATION IN LGUs
•
•
•
•
The 1997 NCC survey showed that all of the 42 provinces and
32 cities that responded have at least one microcomputer.
There are neither mid-range computers nor mainframes
among these local government units (LGUs). The most
common applications or information systems at the local level
are the payroll system and civil registration systems.
Seventeen provinces and 22 cities are connected to the
Internet.
Computers and information systems at the local level are
basically used to automate some clerical tasks and to
computerize the data they collect from its clientele.

44. COMPUTERIZATION IN LGUs
•
•
•
Databases are not yet used to generate critical inputs for
policy and planning processes at these levels.
Only about 6% of the total 81,678 government personnel in
the surveyed local government units use computers, and even
a smaller proportion (2.3%) had training on information
technology.
Less than 1% or only 259 employees comprise the ICT
personnel at the local level.

45. GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS ON
ICT
•
•
Annual current operating expenses for ICT projects or
activities are estimated at P650 million. The 1999 budget
provided P1.5 billion for ICT activities.
The current level of investments is still very limited in relation
to the magnitude of information technology required to
improve government services and institutional efficiencies.

46. INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY ISSUES

47. GOVERNMENT BODIES
Whose functions or activities relate to or affect ICT development
and management in government:
National Information Technology Council (NITC)
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) -Board of Investments
(BOI)
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
National Computer Center (NCC)
National Telecommunications Commission
Commission on Audit (COA)
Civil Service Commission (CSC)

48. At the policy level, the National Information Technology Council
(NITC) was established in 1994 by Executive Order 190
(amended by EO 469 in 1998, and EO 125 in 1999) as the
overall policymaking and coordinating body for the
development of ICT in the country.
The NITC has cabinet-level representation, and NITC decisions are
brought directly to the highest levels of policy and decisionmaking in government, but problems continue to persist.

49. PROBLEMS
1. Inability of the principal members to participate in most
meetings of the council and the tendency of sending
representatives who would often have no sufficient authority or
mandate to commit the agency on key issues, thus delaying
action thereon;
2. Lack of a mechanism to ensure consistency of decisions at the
Cabinet/NITC level, at the oversight agency level, and at the
executive/project execution level;
3. Lack of a full-time technical secretariat to perform substantive
functions/activities for the council such as the
(a) preparation of technical/background papers for the use of the council
members for a more informed discussion of issues;
(b) conduct of needed follow up on council decisions; and
(c) coordination, at the technical and program level, of the various ICT
efforts, particularly in government.

50. OTHER ISSUES
1. Need for representation in the NITC of other key ICT players or
sectors, which include the banking sector, ICT professionals,
represented by the Philippine Computer Society; the software
developers and producers, represented by the Philippine
Software Association; and the computer manufacturers and
distributors, represented by the Computer Manufacturers,
Dealers and Distributors Association of the Philippines
(COMDDAP) and the IT Association of the Philippines ITAP).
Related to this is the issue of whether oversight constitutional
bodies like COA and the CSC should also be represented in the
NITC.

51. OTHER ISSUES
2. Need to generate specific action ideas and specific projects
from members, particularly those from the private sector, that
would clearly define their contribution as council members
toward achieving the NITC’s goals and objectives; and
3. Need to address key issues, especially those that continue to
hamper the more rapid growth and wider application of ICT in
the country (e.g., high telecommunications cost and limited
access in many areas of the country; limited bandwidth for
faster access to electronic databases and the Internet;
interconnection and convergence issues).

52. NOTES
Some gaps have been addressed to a large extent by the issuance
of EO 125, which clarified and strengthened the NITC and NCC
and delineated their respective functions. The effectiveness of
these new arrangements in addressing existing weaknesses
and gaps in policies, particularly those concerned with public
sector ICT development, remains to be seen.

53. INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY
CHALLENGES
1. Government must clearly articulate the vision of ICT
development in the public sector, and its role in achieving
socioeconomic development goals and in pursuing more
efficient, effective and responsive governance.
2. Government must define and establish ICT development
priorities, particularly those relating to financing and
investment. In doing so, it must resolve funding problems for
existing ISP projects not included in the GISP versus GISP
projects, especially in the light of limited resources.
3. There is a need to formulate technology, security,
interoperability, functionality and other relevant standards and
benchmarks, as well as guidelines, for the implementation of
the GISP.

54. INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY
CHALLENGES
4. A comprehensive procurement policy for the GISP needs to be
formulated to address a wide array of issues and concerns
which include the following:
a. A comprehensive procurement policy for ICT resources and
services should be formulated. Such policy, which should
adhere to the principle of relegating to the private sector the
production and provision of goods and services, should
simplify procedures for procurement and
contracting/outsourcing of services.
b. The government needs to define an outsourcing policy that
will ensure that it gets the best service for the least value.
Toward this end, government should identify policies that
stimulate competition, upgrade the capacities of local industry,
and explore the potential of opening the government ICT
market to international players.

55. INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY
CHALLENGES
5. Finally, government needs to establish clear rules, regulations
and guidelines for the sharing among government agencies of
ICT resources to improve utilization efficiency.

56. NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
ISSUES
Government must provide the necessary policy environment that
will ensure the following:
1. Level-playing field for all players to allow credible competition
to flourish;
2. Transparent and clear rules to encourage innovation and
therefore satisfy consumer demands on quality, affordability,
and product variety;

57. NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
ISSUES
3. Workable public-private sector scheme to encourage private
investments to flow, thus enhancing the quality of services;
and
4. Legislated institutional reforms that will allow the regulatory
body to have sufficient autonomy, free from any political
interference, in the exercise of its functions.

58. FINANCING ISSUES
1. Need for a clear budget policy and framework
2. Need to sustain allocation of resources
3. Need to mobilize Official Development Assistance (ODA) and
other resources

59. IMPLICATIONS OF ICT REFORMS
1. There may be significant formal organizational changes in
the executive branch if the reorganization law is passed.
2. There are indications for wider decentralization of national
government functions and activities. This means that
government will delegate more power, authority,
responsibility and accountability to their lower units,
particularly in the field offices.
3. Poverty eradication entails not just the provision of huge
funds for the poor but anchoring such programs on a sound
knowledge of the character and extent of poverty in the
country.

60. IMPLICATIONS OF ICT REFORMS
3.1 providing convenient and speedy access to government
services and information on opportunities for the poor both in
urban and rural areas.
3.2 providing government policymakers and implementors
adequate, up-to-date, and accurate information on the status
of the poor for sound and responsive policy formulation and
for the design of specific interventions.
4. Reform initiatives in government housekeeping functions
require the development of information systems that
provide standards for agency level systems and a sound
consolidation and monitoring facility at the oversight level.

61. IMPLICATIONS OF ICT REFORMS
5. With the government thrust to continue empowering local
government units within the principles advocated in the
devolution program, there is a need to speed up the
building of LGU capacity to effectively assume increasing
responsibilities.

62. ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY OF PUBLIC
SECTOR FOR E - GOVERNANCE
The absorptive capacity for electronic governance in the country has been
growing over the past five to six years. This is expected to accelerate
further with the passage of Republic Act 8792, or the Electronic
Commerce Law, and as larger segments of the population gain wider
access to ICT and telecommunications. At the same time, the adoption
of a government ICT policy framework for a sustained and more
coherent approach, as well as a positive change in the mindsets of
policy and decision makers toward ICT use and investment, are
expected to further accelerate public sector absorptive capacity for
electronic governance.
A key challenge is the development of interagency networks that will
allow seamless information exchange and resource sharing among
agencies that have related functions and those that work for the same
sectors.