During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. may talk about the international presence and partnership with various countries of the Department of Information and Communication (DICT). 

Photo credit to DICT

Under the leadership of DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy and support from the president, the department fortified its international commitments "by taking on various leadership roles in the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)," DICT said.

In September 2022, the Philippine delegations accepted chairmanship at the ninth BIMP-EAGA ICT Cluster meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

"The BIMP-EAGA initiative was formed in 1994 to promote development in rural and underdeveloped areas in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. This year, the initiative aims to evolve to a level of resilience that would protect the subregion from the effects of outside shocks and speed up recovery," DICT wrote.

PH secures seat as a member of ITU

In Bucharest, Romania, the DICT Secretary and his team represented the country in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council in 2022, where the Philippines took a seat from 2023 to 2026 for Region E (Asian and Australasia) as its fourth consecutive term as a member.

"Last October 3, 2022, in Bucharest, Romania. Secretary Uy and his team led the Philippines to its fourth consecutive term as a member of the said council. As ITU council member, the Philippines gains the opportunity to represent the interests and concerns of Region E on the global stage and at the same time, influence the formulation of policies, guidelines, and strategies that impact the region's ICT development," DICT stated. 

Uy also attended in Geneva, Switzerland to represent the Philippines on July 11-21 for the ITU Council 2023 High-Level Segment.

"The ICT Chief underscored the commitment of the Philippine government to provide meaningful and inclusive access to emerging technologies through the Broadband ng Masa and the Free Wi-Fi for All programs," the country's ICT department said. 

PH hosts various int'l meetings

In February 2023, DICT "hosted the Philippines' 3rd ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN), ASEAN Digital Senior Officials Meeting (ADGSOM), and Related Meetings in Boracay."

Uy spearheaded the discussion in ADGMIN that resulted in the "Boracay Digital Declaration 2023."

It is "a landmark document which aimed to ensure a sustainable digital transformation that is people-centered, safe, secure, and relevant to the needs of end-users and stakeholders. The document also sought to increase the quality and use of e-government services and solutions that can connect businesses, and supported innovation for new business models to facilitate cross-border trade and affordable access," DICT noted. 

DICT taps various countries to collaborate

The country's ICT department partnered in various countries: Singapore, China, and Japan, to ink memoranda that will benefit different areas of countries ICT sector, such as "digital connectivity, data protection, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud computing, Internet of Things, big data, analytics, and robotics, Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting, and the utilization of the Emergency Warning Broadcasting System (EWBS)," DICT said. (Sonny Daanoy)