BACOLOD CITY, (PNA) — The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) has moved the venue of its 6th annual SummIT from Tagbilaran City to Cebu City on Nov. 28-29 at the Cebu Parklane International Hotel.
Organizers said they decided to transfer the venue to allow Bohol to proceed with its recovery and reconstruction efforts after it was devastated by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake last month.
“We’re very sorry the event would not push through in Bohol as scheduled,” NICP president Wit Holganza said in a press statement.
He said that Tagbilaran would have been a great host for the SummIT, but they had to change the venue as they don’t want to be an added weight to the Bohol provincial government and the Tagbilaran city government.
Holganza said the SummIT organizers are instead raising funds for Bohol.
Wilfredo “Jun” Sa-a, executive director of Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT), said the proceeds of the fund-raising will be turned over to the designated local government units after the SummIT.
The 2013 NICP conference, co-organized by the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO), is themed, “Innovation in Governance, Education and Tourism for ITpreneurs (i.GET.IT).”
The 6th NICP SummIT will be highlighted by the eGov Awards, where the winning and pioneering ICT initiatives by local government units in the G2C and G2B categories are recognized and rewarded.
Bacolod City Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, eGov Awards committee chair, said the G2C category is for outstanding practices in applying ICT solutions in the education and engagement of the public in the use of electronic facilities or channels towards providing improved, timely and relevant delivery of public services.