2000 telecentres to be set up in the Philippines - Online Community - Telecentre.org Foundation

Source: www.futuregov.asia

By Pia Rufino | 19 May 2011

A regional government in the Philippines will establish 2,000 e-kiosks in Muslim provinces assuring 6,000 new jobs in the regional populace.

The project aims to introduce ICT even in some of the remotest communities by establishing telecentres in 30 scattered towns across the Automous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with each kiosk having three operators.

Acting ARMM governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong (pictured) have met with the members of East Asia (EA) Trilink Corporation, a Filipino-owned telecommunications firm, earlier this month to start the project implementation.

Ishak Mastura, chairman of the ARMM’s Regional Board of Investment, said the telecommunications project worth Php1.5 billion (US$35 million) is the “single biggest investment” to get into the autonomous region.

At a press briefing, Mastura said the EA will use satellite uplink to connect the region as it has done in a similar project in Cambodia.

EA Trilink president Alfredo Panizales said the project will be implemented in two phases. The first is set to be initiated at the second quarter of this year while the second phase will be on the third quarter of 2012.

The Philippine Government’s Commission on ICT has a similar digital inclusion project aimed at stabling e-kiosks called Community eCenters (CeCs) into each of the country’s 1,514 municipalities. Since May 2010, 1065 CeCs have been operational nationwide.

via community.telecentre.org