On Social Media Day, President Aquino dumps CICT

The Office of the President announced the abolition of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) today — World Social Media Day and the second day of the National ICT Summit 2011.

Today is also President Noynoy Aquino’s first year in office.

Tech news portal Newsbytes reports that many in the ICT are shocked by the President’s decision, which relegates the former lead ICT agency to a mere bureau. The former CICT would now be known as the ICT Office under the Department of Science and Technology.

The controversial National Telecommunications Commission, which used to be administered by the CICT, is to be placed directly under the Office of the President.

The dumping of the CICT puts into question the role of ICT and social media under the Aquino regime. After his election campaign as having been driven strongly by social media, and the strong assertions by the President’s erstwhile defeated runningmate of being behind the business process outsourcing boom, we now see this happen to ICT.

What could be behind this decision by the President? Is there a power play yet again between the factions that have marked many presidential appointments? Is there someone or a group of persons threatened by the CICT?

What happens now to the Philippine Digital Strategy 2011-2016 which the CICT unveiled yesterday? Is it as good as trash after the President’s decision?

As the President ends his first year in office, this development does not impress anyone, especially those looking at his leadership in how to make ICT and social media as enablers to attaining individual and national prosperity.

2 Comments

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Maan Hernandez says:

July 1, 2011 at 10:14 am

I hope you can join the CICT facebook group, if you have not. I hope you can share some insights on this topic with the rest of my colleagues. Thanks for sharing this article.
Lee says:

August 27, 2011 at 11:19 am

Personally, I feel its powerplay. Aquino is out to demolish every single entity and structure that was created in the previous administration regardless of whether it is corrupt on not. It seems to me the Aquino administration views the previous administration was evil and hence everything it did was evil…a very narrow mindset IMHO. I think by now we can safely say that ICT is a growing force globally and to relegate it to a smaller arm of DOST clearly shows how Aquino is not up to date with the times. Very disappointing showing from this administration, considering my expectations are already low to begin with.