The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s Digital Hub in Zamboanga City has bagged the champion prize for the E-Employment category of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2020.
The hub was selected as one of 72 champion entries out of over 800 competitors around the globe.
The object of the award is the DICT’s Mindanao Cluster 1 (MC1) Digital Hub, which serves as a learning, innovation, and co-working space facility which is open to the public for 24/7.
The Field Operations Office of DICT MC1 covers the Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and the Zamboanga Peninsula, where the hub is located.
The Digital Hub project team was instrumental in the feat for MC1, with hub manager Lanie Maturan at the helm, Dario Avergonzado as trainer, and Angel Chua as communications officer.
The hub aims to achieve three main objectives:
- Provide access to ICT resources and opportunities,
- Provide training on ICT skills; and,
- Provide a facility for digital workers.
“Through our champion project, we were able to equip thousands with ICT skills to land online jobs wherever they are, even at home. Our efforts to empower the countryside with digital skills are reaping huge benefits especially now that it is more advantageous to work from home,” DICT director Maria Teresa M. Camba said.
In 2019, the hub served over 2,500 users and trained more than 700 users with digital skills training since its creation. The facility likewise allowed freelance workers to earn a collective sum of P1.5 million per month to uplift the local economy.
The digital hub was the only entry from the Philippines awarded as champion, after successfully passing the stages from nominations for the shortlist and the final voting process.
“We are proud of this achievement and are pleased that our solutions had been recognized by industry leaders, practitioners and peers as a viable ICT solution for sustainable development. We promise to live up to the expectations of the global community to develop and implement smarter solutions as we hone the benefits of the digital economy for our citizens,” DICT secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said.
