1st DICT Summit: Implementing Telecommuting and other ICT-Based Solutions to Mitigate Traffic Congestion Nationwide

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) hosted a summit on “Implementing ICT-Based Solutions to Mitigate Traffic Congestion Nationwide” on November 8, 2016 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City. The 1st DICT Summit aims to provide recommendations on how ICT can help in alleviating traffic congestion nationwide.

The one-day summit highlighted ICT-based solutions that our country can easily adopt with the end-in view of realizing the mutual vision for free flowing road traffic.

Representatives from different government agencies like the Department of Transportation (DOTr), including the Senate and the House of Representatives, League of Governors/Mayors, Local Government Unit Officials in NCR, ICT experts, and ICT industry stakeholders shared their vision, insights, and recommendations on how ICT-based concepts may efficiently be implemented. These proposals will then be translated into a joint Position Paper addressed to the President, which will contain the various suggestions and comments of the participating stakeholders with the recommendation for the President to issue an Executive Order on the matter.

Leading the event is DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima who gave the Welcome FRemarks and the introduction of Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella who was in Malacanang Palace where a press conference was also taking place at the same time. A video-conferencing setup was supposed to give a clear communication from the Makati Shangri-La Hotel to the Malacanang Palace but technicalities like the loss and inaudibility of the audio persuaded the government officials to just discontinue the conversation.

The incapability of the video-conferencing was a clear sign that there really is a need for the country and government to invest on ICT infrastructure as the opportunities for growth and development is continuously being hampered by poor technologies available to us in the Philippines.

Start Time	End Time	Topic	Resource Speaker
8:00	9:00	Registration
9:00	9:05	National Anthem Invocation	Creative Synergy Inc. Ms. Yolly Crisanto, Globe
9:05	9:10	Introduction of the Guest Speaker for the welcome remarks	Atty. Carlos Caliwara Chief of Staff, DICT
9:10	9:30	Welcome Remarks by  Sec. Rodolfo A. Salalima Acknowledgement of guests	Sec. Rodolfo A. Salalima, Secretary, DICT
9:30	9:45	Overview of the Summit	USec. Eliseo Rio Jr. Undersecretary, DICT
9:45	10:00	Break
10:00	10:30	Internet of Things; Use cases and short clips	Mr. Amr Mohamed Elsaid Salem, Managing Director, Cisco Systems International
10:30	10:31	Introduction of Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Ernesto Abella	Sec. Rodolfo A. Salalima Secretary, DICT
10:31	11:00	Keynote: Message	Secretary Ernesto Abella
11:00	11:30	Topic: Legislative Holistic Approach in Solving Traffic Congestion	Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento Chair, House Transportation Committee
11:30	12:00	Panel Discussion	Mr. Edwin M. Paala, Project Manager,DICT
12:00	1:00	Lunch
1:00	1:30	Philippine Broadband Adoption	Comm. Gamaliel Cordoba, NTC Commissioner
1:30	2:00	Virtual Network Index (VNI) for internet trends forecasting	Mr. Chia Tan.   Director   Eng’g Service Provider Asia Pacific Japan Region Cisco
2:00	2:30	Challenges of the Broadband Industry (Mobile)	Mr. Gil B. Genio. Chief Technology and Information Office and Chief Strategy Officer Globe Telecom
2:30	3:00	Challenges of the Broadband Industry (Fixed)	Mr. Mario G. Tamayo   Senior Vice-President for Technology Group, PLDT/Smart
3:00	3:30	Panel Discussion	Mr. Stefan Andrei D. Flores, Project Manager, DICT
3:30	3:45	Afternoon Break
3:45	4:00	Telecommuting Demo	USec. Eliseo Rio Jr. Undersecretary, DICT
4:00	4:30	Company presentations (Private)	Uber,  Grab, Facebook, Microsoft, Lithra/CSS
4:30	5:00	Government Initiatives	Usec. Denis Villorente Undersecretary for Developmental and Innovations DICT Mr. Julito Vitriolo Executive Director Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
5:00	5:30	Panel Discussion	Mr. Stefan Andrei D. Flores, Project Manager, DICT
5:30	6:00	Presentation of the Resolution and the Draft Executive Order	Engr. Enrico delos Reyes. Chairman Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators Atty. Carlos Caliwara Chief of Staff, DICT
		Ceremonial Signing of the Resolution

RESOLUTION 

Implementing Telecommuting and Other ICT-based Solutions to Mitigate Traffic Congestion Nationwide 

Recognizing, the worsening traffic situation in the Philippines has reached a compelling need for the National Government, led by the President, to effect policies and plans that will address the traffic congestion  in the long term; 

Recognizing, the traffic problem in the country, especially in Metro Manila, now affects workers, employees, business, households, and students in both the public and private sector to spend substantial hours on the road in order to commute from home to work or to school and vice versa;  

Recalling, the amount of time spent on the road causes fatigue, decreases work productivity, affects prices of commodities and public service efficiency (emergency services, public works, peace and order, medical and health, and logistic services, services of government), while the amount of vehicles necessary to ferry the commuters and goods results in massive carbon dioxide and other emissions which negatively impact both human health, human and child development, mental health, wellness, and the environment;  

Underscoring, the traffic crisis causes business loss,  personal expenses, and decreased productivity & efficiency amounting to billions of pesos  daily, based on studies, which can be redirected to savings, investments, income and other productive uses for both the government,  the private sector and the general public at large, if traffic is decongested;  

Recognizing, the potential and power of information and communications technology in remedying current social, economic, and environmental problems, including the inter-related problems of urban sprawl and traffic congestion;  

Recognizing, that the expeditious approval and release of permits for telecommunications towers, facilities, and equipment by the pertinent national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), and other government agencies play an indispensable role in the successful implementation of ICT solutions for the efficient flow of internet and vehicular traffic in particular and economic and social progress in general;  

Recognizing, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) spearheaded the holding of the Summit on “Implementing ICT-based Solutions to Mitigate Traffic Congestion Nationwide” with the goal of providing assistance to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Highway Patrol Group, and other relevant agencies to help alleviate the traffic problem;  

Recalling, representatives from both the private and public sector discussed solutions that may be offered to resolve the traffic issue;  

Resolved, that the representatives from the private and public sector participating in this Summit adopt a unified stance wherein ICT-based solutions are seen as a key in resolving the 

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problem of traffic congestion in the country, as specified in the Joint Position Paper, attached as Annex A of this Resolution and made an integral part hereof;  

Resolved, that representatives from the private and public sector participating in this Summit commit to implement ICT-based solutions in order to mitigate traffic;  

Resolved, that representatives from the private and public sector participating in this Summit are encouraged to develop ICT-based solutions in order to mitigate traffic; 

Resolved, that the private and public sector as represented in the Summit adopts the following ICT solutions:  

1. Broadband as the minimum internet connectivity standard; 

2. Cloud computing as the preferred ICT deployment method; 

3. Use of remote access ICT systems in order to allow officials, employees, and workers to access their work files outside of the office, provided that proper security measures are in place; 

4. Use ICT systems that are accessible via fixed and mobile devices, to facilitate telecommuting; 

5. Adoption of other productivity, communications, and collaboration tools to allow both management and employees to create, modify, store files in collaboration with other officers or employees telecommuting remotely; 

6. Adoption of comprehensive enterprise resource planning ICT systems, which shall include Business Intelligence, e-Commerce, Enterprise Asset Management, and other matters, which shall include ICT systems covering procurement, production, distribution, accounting, human resource management, corporate performance and governance, customer services, sales, and others;  

7. Adoption of virtual private networking, encrypted transmission of data and messages, and other mechanisms to ensure that telecommuting is done in a way that retains the security, confidentiality, and safety of the data, files, and other information handled by officers and employees who are telecommuting;  

8. Use of ICT-based traffic management which provides, among others, synchronized traffic signal prioritization schemes and real time alternate routes information;  

9. Installation of broadband connectivity in  major highways, roads, and thoroughfares to allow commuters to access email and work while on the road;  

10. Use of applications and solutions which will reduce the number of vehicles on the road; and 

11. Seriously consider implementing telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement for their employees, insofar as it may be applicable considering the nature of their duties and 

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functions, the area of their assignment and the existing infrastructure in place, without unduly compromising their work productivity. 

Resolved, that the private sector commits to assist the government in developing and providing identified ICT solutions and infostructures necessary for its implementation; 

Resolved, that the public sector, as represented by the government agencies that have participated in the summit, commits to the following:  

1. Recommend the formulation of tax-based and other appropriate incentives for (a) entities that participate in implementing ICT-based solutions and (b) service providers, technology providers, and applications developers that will create ICT-based solutions specific for traffic and congestion problems;  

2. Digitization of government databases, assets, resources, and real-time traffic data, whenever possible, to allow remote access, which in turn shall facilitate ICT-based solutions;  

3. Review and evaluate, and in appropriate cases amend, policies and determine positions suited for implementation of ICT-based solutions, including telecommuting; and  

4. Facilitate access to, and the provision of, government services, especially frontline services, easier and more convenient to the private sector, by making it available online and by strictly implementing the provisions of applicable laws, rules, regulations, and orders on the streamlining of services, including but not limited to the RA No. 9485, known as the “Anti-Red Tape Act” and DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2016-104, series of 2016, in order not to hamper or impede private sector operations. 

Resolved, that the proposed Executive Order, attached as Annex B to this Resolution and made an integral part hereof, governing ICT-based solutions in the Philippines shall be submitted to the President for approval;  

Resolved, that a Special Working Group shall be formed from representatives from the private and public sector participating in this Summit, to facilitate the implementation of these resolutions within their respective offices.  

DONE, this 8th day of November, 2016, City of Manila.