2nd MICAS To Define Online Child Safety In I-Cafés

Once again, in February 18 and 19, 2010 the officials of the different internet café associations and internet cafe operators in Mindanao will converge in SM City Davao for the Second Mindanao Internet Café Association Summit (2^nd MICAS). Much like the First MICAS that was held in 2007, the Internet Café Association of Davao headed by its president Mr. Adolfo Solanor will take the lead in organizing this year's gathering.

“The 2nd MICAS with the theme, Bringing the Benefits of Information and Communications Technology to the People of Mindanao through the Internet Cafes, would definitely be Bigger, Better and Bolder this year”, stressed by Mr. Solanor.

“Bigger in terms of participants as we bring together the different internet café associations and other stakeholders in the ICT industry in Mindanao.  Better for what we are offering are two simultaneous events an ICT Trade Exhibit that will showcase the latest advances in computer hardware, software and internet related services. The other is the workshop of the officials of the internet café associations and operators to come up with an action plan that would further the development of the internet cafes industry in Mindanao. Bolder as the participants set their goals as they claim their leadership in ICT access at the community level”, Mr. Solanor added.

Since majority of the customers of internet cafes are children, the Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations Summit hopes to be the venue for the adoption of the “Davao Declaration On Online Child Safety” which will define the initiatives of the different internet cafe associations in the promotion of safe browsing by children in internet cafes. It hopes to become a forum in which discussions could be initiated that could lead to an increase in awareness of the great responsibility of internet cafe operators as ICT access centers at the community level in ensuring the online safety of their customers.

“It is an honor and a privilege for I-Café Pilipinas to be part of the team led by ICAD that would organize the 2nd MICAS in Davao City in February” Mr. Ed Zafra, Chair of I-Café Pilipinas, said. I-Café Pilipinas is the national organization composed mainly of the internet café associations and operators in the Philippines. “We truly believe that the Second MICAS will serve as a vehicle in the further development of the internet cafes as a leader in community ICT access for peace and development in Mindanao”, added by Mr. Zafra.

The Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations Summit is made possible with the support of the event partners of the Internet Cafe Association of Davao and I-Cafe Pilipinas.  Intel Technology Philippines, the largest chip provider in the country,  and the Genuine Equity for Mindanao (GEM), a USAID Project in Mindanao, as its Gold Event Partners. Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) are the Institutional Event Partners in the summit.