IT rantings from the Philippines.
Melvin G. Calimag is currently the executive editor of an IT news website in the Philippines. Melvin has been covering the local IT beat for the last 13 years. He is currently a board member at the IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (CyberPress), and also serves as a charter member with the Philippine Science Journalists Association.
Like basic utilities such as electricity and water, technology has crept into our everyday lives in such a way that we have become so dependent on it even when we know that it's not a perfect system.If you make a random survey of the things that people can't live without, you're likely to find a cellular phone on the list.
Aside from its bountiful natural resources, the other main wealth of the Philippines is perhaps its people. Despite the poverty and corruption that still pervade in the country, the current generation of Filipinos has ably demonstrated they can surpass the achievements of their elders and raise the standard of living in the country.
Journalists are often invited to attend various events inside and outside the country. This month of May was particularly busy for me, as I was practically on the road almost the entire time.
In the Philippines, healthcare is almost an alien concept to half of the local population, especially to those living in remote villages. Would you believe that 50 percent of Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor in their entire lives?
A few days ago, an e-mail with a subject line "Invitation to the exclusive launch of a new telco" greeted me as I opened my inbox. Not knowing the person who sent it, I mistook it first as a spam mail.
The current rice crisis gripping Asia and the United States has led experts to declare that the era of cheap food is over. That seems to apply as well in the low-cost IT labor sector, particularly in the electronics manufacturing, in the Philippines.
If you place the word "blog" in front of a mirror, it may read something like "gold". It may sound cheesy, but that seems to be the status of blogs right now--both literally and figuratively.
On Apr. 10, I attended an e-commerce conference organized by the government and an industry group composed of local e-business companies.
It's amazing how Taiwan has reinvented itself in the high-technology sector. I still remember the days when most of the world looked down on products that were "Made in Taiwan".
Somewhere in the news section of this Web site, you'll find a story about Intel's impending plan to shut down its Philippine plant after 34 years of operations. This is sad news for the country, but the company seems bent on moving its factory where the cost of labor and electricity is much lower.