photo by IAN VILLANUEVA BALDOMARO)
CALBAYOG CITY- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is presently holding a series of Rural Impact Sourcing (RIS) workshops that commenced last May and will end November aimed to boost awareness in rural areas and provide people the knowledge on RIS. The Calbayog City leg workshop was held at the Calbayog City Convention Center and attended by thousands of college students from ACLC College, Systems Technology Institute (STI) College and the NorthWest Samar State University.
Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, in his remarks, personally expressed his warm welcome to the guests and speakers from DOST headed by Frederick Amores, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Industry Development Group program manager, and to all the participants in the said RIS workshop which carries the theme: “Digital Employment through Rural BPO for Inclusive Growth”. He stressed that Calbayog is privileged to have been chosen by DOST-ICTO as among the five pilot cities in one of the components of its recently introduced flagship program called “Smarter Philippines” that is expected to speed up the country’s economy towards substantial growth via ICT.
This component, he explained, is called “Smarter Cities”, also known as “Next Wave Cities Program”, which creates career opportunities in the countryside by promoting different areas in the provinces as suitable BPO (business processing outsourcing) destinations as well as increases their chances to provide better quality of life for their constituents. “With the workshop, who knows, Calbayog City will make it as BPO destination. We have good schools, talented students and supports not only from the academe but also from the local government unit. Who knows also this might be the start we have been waiting for our city to grow and develop,” the city mayor said. The RIS is part of the thrust of the ICT Office of DOST that contributes to the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016’s pursuit for inclusive growth. The program supports Philippine government’s commitment to produce 1.3 million traditional IT-BPM jobs by 2016. (AIMEE A. CATALAN/PR)
