QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --- The Philippines was re-elected to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council yesterday, October 3, 2022, in Bucharest, Romania. There were 193 ITU Member States that chose 48 States to be in charge of the Council. The Philippines, along with Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, is one of the 13 countries chosen from Region E (Asia and Australia).
Philippines, which is represented by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), promises to work toward the ITU's goal of making the digital future more accessible and open to everyone, especially in developing countries.
“The DICT looks forward to working with all our stakeholders both in the public and private sectors to attain our common aspirations of a digitally empowered Philippines. As a country, we are very eager to take an active part in building a better digital future for all as our commitment under the Bucharest Declaration,” DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy stated during his address upon the nation’s win in the ITU Council.
DICT Undersecretary Jocelle E. Batapa-Sigue assisted the country’s successful bid in the re-election and she will continue to represent the Philippines until the end of the Plenipotentiary Conference on October 14, 2022. Usec. Batapa-Sigue congratulated the members of the Council and talked about how Information and Communications Technology can shape the world.
“To us in government, it may be just work, but for others it may mean their lives, their food, their education, their health. Let's help the world in the next four years with every knowledge, every sharing we can share. The PH is blessed to stand among nations and have a voice in the next 4 years. Let us show the world that DICT is a government agency of global standards. Let us use this seat, this voice to help build a better digital future,” Usec. Batapa-Sigue stated.
The DICT is expected to lead the country's participation in talks and decisions that will have a big impact on the digital agendas of the Member States. As a Council member, the DICT also asks other government agencies to help it reach its goals and work with it.
