In today’s increasingly digital world, information and communication technology plays an important role in the progress and development of a nation. More than ever, the need to address the “digital divide” and provide universal access to today’s information highway remains a complex issue, especially in poor and developing countries. For this, the Philippines has a lot to thank the California Technological Care (CTC) for.
Started in 1999 by two veterans of the telecommunications industry namely Albert “Sandy” Munroe and Demos Punsalan, CTC aims to bridge the digital divide and combat computer illiteracy for those most in need. A public benefit organization that fights information poverty and electronic waste pollution through scalable programs, CTC recycles computers and sends them to disadvantaged communities, public schools, and NGOs in several countries, mainly the Philippines. Over the past six years, CTC is considered to have helped reduce electronic waste from entering landfills, provided educational programs that make it possible for people to move themselves out of poverty, and supported and strengthened families in the process.
In 2002, CTC in partnership with other organizations, started a program called Cyberbarangayan. The mission of the project is not only to bridge the digital divide between the Philippine barangays and the global community through computer literacy and internet access, but also to make available alternative livelihood opportunities among the underprivileged by developing skills and knowledge in computer technology. Several local government units, NGOs, public schools and religious institutions were recipients of the project, including several underserved indigenous communities such as the Aetas in Pampanga and Tarlac, the Mangyans in Mindoro, and the Manobos in Agusan del Sur. CTC now has established 70 computer learning centers in the Philippine countryside, in addition to the 12 in California. Through the learning centers, residents of barangays learn how to operate computers for free, thereby, increasing their job market value and their chances of getting a better job. It enabled the informed poor to develop knowledge whose use extends beyond their respective localities.
On its 5th year, CTC launched the “Technology Care Mission” as a community service mission allowing CTC volunteers to attend the opening of several CTC sponsored computer learning centers. Mission activities also included computer technology and entrepreneurship training and mentoring to help people develop the skills required to start and own a business. In addition, CTC volunteers mentored out-of-school youth, women reentering the workplace, senior citizens, and other disadvantaged individuals. CTC’s technical training programs in the Philippines have graduated more than 400 students. In its pilot program in the province of Laguna, out of 44 CTC students who completed the basic computer training course, 22 were hired by a local US-based company. Moreover, CTC launched the No Child Left Off-Line which brings together public and private partners to help public schools in the Philippines join the information age.
CTC is said to have changed the landscape among disadvantaged communities by providing the poor with access to technology and education, making a difference in their lives. By making computers available to those who cannot afford them and operating learning centers, CTC volunteers are helping more people learn the skills they need to be competitive in the 21st century. CTC’s work is not only tremendous in its scope but visionary in its implications. Just as the Filipino nation showcases the perfect marriage of eastern and western cultures, CTC epitomizes the perfect marriage of technology and the classic Philippine spirit of bayanihan. In this digital age, it has been pivotal in ensuring that the Philippines is wired into cyberspace.
In conferring the Kaanib ng Bayan Award to California Technological Care, the President recognizes its exemplary work and commitment to bridge the digital divide in the Philippines, and provide many less fortunate Filipinos with skills and opportunities for employment.
