The Sangguniang Kabataan, or Youth Council will host the first barangay-based Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) in the Philippines initiated by the Department of Information and Communications Technology – Region IX+BASULTA in the province of Zamboanga City. Barangay is the country’s smallest administrative division.
“We celebrate a momentous occasion, a milestone for digitalising the regions. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is proud to launch the Digital Transformation Center in Mercedes, Zamboanga City. Now, the citizens of Zamboanga City can enjoy an Innovation Hub that will cater to their ICT needs,” says Ivan John E. Uy, Secretary, DICT.
The DTC will serve as the public’s I-C-T hub, delivering training specifically tailored to address community needs, a co-working space for creative collaboration, and an incubator for businesses with the purpose of utilising Filipinos’ superior ICT resources and abilities. Additionally, the DTC will develop and support local people with superior digital skills.
In the era of the digital economy, demand waves have been rising with time. While some vocations were rendered obsolete by technology, new opportunities also arose as a result. The only way to prosper is to embrace digital transformation and create a society that is ICT-enabled and equipped for the global economy.
Filipinos may achieve this by providing ICT training through the Digital Transformation Centre to their population, particularly the youth. The building for the ICT Hub will be provided by the local government, and DICT IX will give basic to advanced ICT training there while also donating 10 PCs, 5 tablets, and a printer.
The first Digital Transformation Centres were established in the Philippines by DICT in 2021, and they are situated in the regional DICT offices in the provinces of Isabela City, Basilan, Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga City.
It was in September 2019, that the DTC Initiative was introduced with the aim of assisting nations in enhancing citizens’ digital capabilities, particularly in underprivileged communities. The chosen DTCs join a global network of organisations that aims to hasten public adoption of digital technology and increase young entrepreneurs’ and SMEs’ chances of success in the digital economy.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL), through its Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights (BCRR), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a company that operates a metaverse platform to support local content creators in their efforts to confidently create in virtual spaces and more effectively connect with a global audience.
Emerson G. Cuyo, Director of BCCR, claims that the metaverse gives creators and artists greater control over the use, commercialisation, and monetisation of their intellectual property in a way that has never been seen before.
Since the Philippines has long been known for its people’s intrinsic aptitude and creativity, whether people see the metaverse as an extension of the real world or a new digital universe, it stands to boost the country’s creative industry.
IPOPHL and the metaverse corporation agree to collaborate and promote the creation, protection, commercialisation, and internationalisation of unique Philippine-registered IP intellectual property products and services, as well as creative content, within the terms of the MoU. In addition, the metaverse will be an essential market for the promotion of unique Filipino content and creativity by Filipinos.
IPOPHL is the Philippine government agency tasked with administering and implementing state intellectual property (IP) policy to strengthen the country’s IP rights protection. In addition, the agency promotes the use of patent information as a tool for technological advancement.