PHL NEEDS MORE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS AND DEVELOPERS - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that the Philippines will require more software engineers, developers and other Information Technology (IT) professionals to remain competitive in light of the boom in cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications.

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, noted that the Business Software Alliance (BSA) said that Asia, including the Philippines, can become a global hub for cloud computing services, given adequate infrastructure and a favorable policy environment.

He also pointed out projections from software security firm Trend Micro that by 2020, there will be 35 zettabytes or around 35 billion terabytes of digitized information, 11 zettabytes of which will be housed in the cloud.

"The Internet age is fast-paced and ever-changing. Right now, the imperative is upon us to quickly adapt and boost our capacities in IT systems and IT-heavy applications," said Angara.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a recent statement that a Japanese business process outsourcing (BPO) firm which focuses on software development and IT infrastructure will establish a satellite delivery site in the Philippines.

"The Philippines definitely faces immense competition from China or India in terms of manufacturing capacity. But the skills of our people are among the best in the world. That's why Nokia Siemens Networks has located their Asian R&D here.

Filipinos can excel in creative and innovation-intensive industries like software design and engineering. We should seize this opportunity to generate higher paying jobs and create a knowledge-based economy," said Angara, also Chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).