The Visayas regions aim to raise the bar in local business environment for information and communications technology (ICT) enabled jobs and services as it marks its sixth years of convergence this 2018.
The Visayas cluster is strong and formidable contenders in the list of thriving locations for ICT-enabled jobs and services outside of Metro Manila today.
In the latest industry scorecard, Visayas bagged three out of the six centers of excellence in ICT-business process management (BMP) in the country, namely Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo, with Dumaguete as one of the Top 10 Next Wave Cities and Roxas as one of the Top Ten Emerging Cities.
The first quarter of every year for the last six years signals the annual Visayas ICT Cluster Conference (VICTOR), which is spearheaded by the National ICT Confederation for the Philippines (NICP), the mother organization of ICT councils in the country.
The 6th VICTOR conference slated on February 22, 2018 will be followed by the 4th Visayas Creative Congress (CReaCon) the following day at the Sampaguita Gardens in New Washington, Province of Aklan.
The event is co-presented by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the provincial government of Aklan with the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), PLDT, Microgenesis, and iPay.
Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, NICP trustee and one of the VICTOR convenors, said ?VICTOR seeks to promote the potential of the Visayan Islands as location for ICT-enabled jobs, opportunities and investments. It also serves as a venue for NICP ICT Council members and all its partners to gather during the first quarter of the year to exchange notes and provide updates, all in support of NICP’s vision.?
NICP works through its member ICT councils, which is generally composed of government, academe and industry to develop, implement and sustain strategies to create more jobs and drive innovation in the countryside, Batapa-Sigue said.
This year?s host is the Aklan ICT council, which is headed by former Aklan vice governor Gabrielle Calizo-Quimpo.
This year’s theme is ?Vying for Innovation in Visayas and Aklan for A Digital Philippines (VIVA Digital PH), highlighting the famous call ?viva? in honor of Se?or Santo Ni?o, popular during the province?s famous festival, Ati-Atihan, every January.
The CreaCon will feature the 1st VICTOR Game Jam with the support of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) and an AWS Developers Day.
A special eGovernance workshop for all municipalities in Aklan will also be held on the second day. Among the highlight of this year?s VICTOR is the eGov panel which will feature the winning entries of Cebu City, municipalities of Bogo, Cebu and Mina, Iloilo and the Province of Iloilo.
The first VICTOR was held in Iloilo six years ago, and was hosted by Dumaguete the following year, followed by Bacolod, Roxas, and Bohol.
