The 2009 SONA

All of these here in my post is based on what I have read. I haven’t seen the telecast of the last State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, I just read the transcript.

For me, I think that little has been talked about by President Arroyo with the ICT industry in her SONA, but although little, it has to be talked about, since it concerns me, for I am an IT student, and ICT issues will affect me in time.

The first ICT related topic in the SONA for me was the one regarding the National Telecommunications Commission about the dropped calls and the loads of cellphones being “stolen”. I don’t know about the dropped calls, but I do know about the lost loads. I know many people who always complain “Gikawatan na pud kog load…(My load was stolen again…)”. I wouldn’t say what telecommunications company, because we don’t know who will be reading this post. If the NTC were to address this problem and solve it, then that’s a good one for us ordinary citizens. Even though small, this can improve our quality of life, because texting has been almost a need for us Filipinos. We use it to communicate; in schools, business, and fun. Almost all Filipinos have a cellphone now, even some in squatters, and load is very essential. If load would be lost with us not knowing why that would add up to our poor state in life. We don’t have even money, we don’t even have load. And if we had load, it would some kinda be stolen from us. So if this problem was taken care of, then that would lessen our problems, even if in a small scale.

Next would be the plan of putting up an ICT department. If there were a Department in the government dedicated only to the ICT industry, then all problems regarding within the field would be more focused on, and problems would be much faster resolved. And if the ICT industry needed help, then they there would be a department of the government that could focus its help on it. Workers in the ICT field will be glad about this.

And lastly, its about the funds for more computers in schools. This topic was from the issue in tax revenues, that the tax from alcohol and cigarettes must go to the funds for education. And with these funds, the percentage of purchasing more computers for schools will increase. And if there will be more computers in schools, then more and more students, even in rural areas, will be computer-literate and more students will be probable candidates for ICT related professions. And that means more qualified people for the ICS industry. And if they get those jobs, then more food on the table.