Philippines creates ICT department

The Philippines government has passed a measure to create a separate department to handle the country's ICT policies and regulations, The Inquirer reports.

Lawmakers approved a senate bill, which calls for the reorganisation of communications-related agencies into a separate entity known as the Department of ICT (DICT).

The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, made up of the country's top technology firms, indicates that industry stakeholders have been clamouring for the creation of an ICT department for over a decade.

According to the bill, the DICT will be the primary policy planning, co-ordinating, implementing, regulating and administrative government entity that will develop the country's ICT sector, BusinessWorld Online states.

Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile says: "Governments throughout the world have devoted efforts towards the development and management of information systems to streamline and improve the efficiency of the delivery of basic goods and services to the people."

The Philippines is in a league with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in not having a separate agency focused on ICT development, PhilStar.com says.

Having a DICT is expected to position the Philippines to create policies that will transition the country towards a fully-fledged, technology-driven economy.