What participation of the Philippines in global governance.
Answers
Explanation:
The Republic of the Philippines, with a population of almost 90 million, is an archipelago of more than 7,100 islands spread over 300,000 square km. It occupies a strategic position within the Southeast Asian region. The Philippines emerged, after a 425-year history of colonialism and a recent traumatic period of authoritarianism, as a flawed democracy labouring under continuing economic underdevelopment and periodic political upheaval.
The country has been ruled by a succession of elected governments by and large representing political elites who are also dominant in the economy, including the media and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors. The economy continues to struggle amidst a shifting globalised world order: economic growth is sluggish, poverty still widespread, and wide income disparities endure. Political crises hound the administration of current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, amidst lingering questions on her 2004 electoral mandate. Armed challenges from communist rebels and Muslim separatists persist, and a restive military continues to gain influence in the country’s political life. At the same time, however, Philippine civil society is one of the most vibrant in the world, and continues to be at the forefront in advocating for good governance, sustainable development, socioeconomic and political reforms, and communication rights.
After the Martial Law years, freedom of expression naturally exploded, and a largely free (and freewheeling) press and mass media regained its pre-Martial Law reputation as one of the most liberal in the region. Ironically, despite a free press, working in the Philippine media was recently considered a dangerous job for journalists – many have been murdered over the past five years.
The telecommunications sector was deregulated in the 1990s, and universal access to telephony rose steadily, especially with the recent boom in mobile phones and short messaging service (SMS). The Philippines formally linked to the internet in 1994, and it remains largely unregulated today. Though the infrastructure is present, access rates for the majority of the population remain low. The neoliberal free market economic paradigm continues to be contested, including within the communications sectors, where significant sections are dominated by big private enterprises and conglomerates. ICTs are embraced in national plans for their socioeconomic potential, but ICT and internet governance is uneven due to limited state capacity, lack of resources, and occasional regulatory capture by dominant market players.
This report seeks to present national trends in the country’s ICT sector, with a particular emphasis on the framework for ICT policy and governance in the Philippines. It also looks at how civil society has been engaged in this arena.
The first of two main sections seeks to give a brief national overview. Its sub-sections look to provide both the context for public policy, as well as an initial evaluation by civil society of the current state of existing ICT plans.
The next section provides a short assessment of people’s participation in ICT policy and governance for the period 2000 to 2006, with a description of civil society engagement in the policy process. It ends with an evaluation of recurring issues that still have to be addressed by development stakeholders, particularly civil society organisations (CSOs).
The choice of what to include in this report is informed by it being the first one on the Philippines information society to be part of a collection of reports that will be updated periodically. It hopes to serve as a conceptual baseline for looking at ICT policy and governance in the Philippines. Specific areas introduced here can be further fleshed out in future publications.