Interim Report On Our Strategic Road Map

By: Gener Morada

In between meetings while I was preparing for my presentations that I would be using in the different internet cafe owners training seminars that would take place in the next couple of days, I had the opportunity to review the “Strategic Road Map for the Development of the Internet Cafe Industry in the Philippines 2010 till 2012.” This document was issued by I-Cafe Pilipinas last November of 2009 to serve as a guide on the various initiatives and activities that it plans to do in the two year period with the primary purpose of developing the internet cafe industry in the country.

I am happy to note that given the short span of time I-Cafe Pilipinas has already initiated projects and activities towards the attainment of the strategic road map.

Creation of a National Network of Internet Cafe Associations in all of the Municipalities and Cities in the Philippines.

• I-Cafe Pilipinas does not directly get involved in the affairs of the individual internet cafe owners but it encourages the formation of internet cafe associations in the different parts of the country. This would ensure that the interest of the internet cafe owners in the different parts of the country would be properly taken cared of.

• I-Cafe Pilipinas today has a working relationship with at least 13 different internet cafe associations around the country. This ensures that programs and activities of I-Cafe Pilipinas are reaching the internet cafe owners in the different parts of the country.

Linking the Internet Café operators with the rest of the ICT community

This primarily concerns itself with the creation of workable business model that create a much better business environment on the part of the internet cafe owner.

• Internet Cafe as a Job Recruitment Center for the Business Outsourcing Industry
• Internet Cafe as a Community ICT Equipment Reseller
• Internet Cafe as a Community ICT Educational Hub

Closer collaboration with the different ICT stakeholders like Intel Philippines, Microsoft Philippines, Google and other private companies

• Better relationship with Government (national and local) and educational institutions.
• I-Cafe Pilipinas is now being consulted by National Government institutions like the Commission on Information and Communication Technology, Department of Social Welfare and Development and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on ICT programs and policies related to the internet cafe industry.
• Better access to Capital – Kaakibat Cooperative

I-Cafe as a platform for the development of e-Commerce and e-Governance in the Philippines

• Promotion of e-Commerce and e-Governance through the various government websites like the National Statistics Office, GSIS and SSS.

Continuous development of the Internet café business through education of its owner

I-Café Pilipinas believes that innovation is the key in improving the present situation of the internet café industry.

This primarily concerns itself in the following area:

• The creation of standards that would provide quality services to the customers of the internet cafe

• Creation of an Internet Cafe Academy that would properly inform the internet cafe operator of the different issues and business models to ensure its sustainability.

• Creation of a professionalized internet cafe industry with practitioners armed with the proper information they need in their operations

I-Cafe Pilipinas for the last few months has been very active in educating the internet cafe owners in the different areas of the Philippines through the following:

• Holding of National and Local Events – First Internet Cafe National Summit and the Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations summit.

• Regular Internet Cafe Entrepreneurship Training Seminar being conducted by the Philippine Trade Training Center under the Department of Trade and industry under their Free Community Entrepreneurship Training Program

• Specialized events conducted by Intel Philippines in the different parts of the country that aims in providing information to the internet cafe owners on how to properly manage their business.

• Visitations and consultations with the different internet cafe associations around the country like in Davao, Valenzuela, Pitogo, Los Banos and Tagum City.