The annual study which is now on its third year, surveyed a total of 1,500 respondents across all socio-economic classes living in 22 major cities in the country. It used a two-part structured questionnaire to determine Internet usage and behavior, which included mobile Internet, or access of the Internet via the mobile phone.

A check of the web for a copy of the latest Yahoo! Net Index 2011 yields negative results (there is one for first quarter of 2011) but according to the news reports, the study further revealed the following:

• The Philippines stands apart as the only country in Southeast Asia where women make up a higher proportion of mobile Internet users than men at 57 percent versus 43 percent.
• The growth in mobile Internet activity came from the youth segment and those from the lower economic groups.
• Mobile Internet goers use affordable handsets bundled with bite-sized voice and data plans for sending e-mails, social networking, instant messaging and search engines.
• Access at home, the young demography, affordable handsets and bite-sized prepaid data plans are driving mobile Internet growth.
• As more Filipinos access the Web via mobile, this will allow telecom companies achieve economies of scale and bring down tariffs, in turn adding further stimulus to mobile Internet growth.

With the rapid penetration of social media and availability of more affordable smartphones among Filipino mobile phone owners, i-café owners in the country may have to rethink their business strategies in order to fit the changing trends and Internet habits of their customers.

Last April, E-Games completed its purchase for a 75-percent stake in Digital Paradise, the operator of the Netopia brand of i-cafés. Netopia’s network consists of 72 company-owned and 27 franchised branches strategically located in malls and high-traffic areas. In September of this year, E-Games further solidified their strategy with the purchase of Webworx Computer Technology Corporation, owner and operator of the CyBr brand of Internet cafes.  This added an additional 23 i-cafes to E-Games’ retail network.

Last month, E-Games, a publicly-listed company, reported today a revenue of PhP337 million for the first nine months of 2011, a 155% increase from the PhP132 million posted for the same period last year. The notable rise in revenues is attributable to a 17% growth in game publishing revenue, and the consolidation of two brands of Internet cafes: Digital Paradise, Inc. (operator of Netopia), and Webworx Computer Technology Corporation (operator of CyBr).  Earnings for the first three quarters also rose to Php51 million from Php1 million in 2010, representing a 5,000% increase.

Moving forward, E-Games looks to become the largest consumer Internet company in the country. Between the E-Games community of 16 million registered users, and the i-café business’ 2 million monthly visitors, the Company has one of the largest captive audiences in the Philippines. E-Games’ strategy calls for capitalizing on this growing user base by providing a unique experience in each of its i-cafes. E-Games aims to revolutionize this sector through further investment in other i-café brands, helping them upgrade their infrastructure by means of the Company’s expertise, and providing new products and services.

With the current unenviable status of small i-café owners, what could this strategy of E-Games mean to them? You might say that there are other distribution companies that you can rely on for the supply of games so E-Games current domination are not affecting your business. How about if E-Games will be able to convince those other game distributors to pass through them? Will this mean an online gaming business monopoly in the near future? Just asking.

School children in the Philippines face many challenges; sometimes, even the simple walk to school in the morning can be an arduous journey. Students cross rivers, traverse mountain peaks, even go through battlegrounds just to go to school. And when they arrive, they are faced with meager resources – overcrowded classrooms, the lack of books and school supplies – which all make for an uninspiring learning environment.

That is why starting on its 76th year, Procter and Gamble (P&G) Philippines is setting out to make these students’ journey more worthwhile. Taking its commitment to education to the next level, P&G will provide technology and connectivity to Filipino students nationwide with its e.Studyante program.

Along with partner Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Synergeia Foundation, the e.Studyante program will provide kids from selected schools with an XO Laptop from the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Association. The XO laptop is a rugged, low-power, connected laptop especially designed to make learning more engaging and more fun for students. Students can use their laptops not just to learn but to share and connect with each other, with their communities and with the world – helping them all become an “e.Studyante.”

“For children all over the country, the challenge of education begins even before they step into the classroom. Some have to wake up at the crack of dawn and walk miles through unpaved roads, through woods and rivers, just to get to school. We are doing this for these students. We want to make this journey worthwhile for them by giving them the tool that will place the world’s knowledge at their fingertips – through a laptop and internet connectivity,” said Chad Sotelo, e.Studyante Country Marketing Manager.

The goal is simple: Give out 1,000,000 laptops in time for P&G’s 100th year. And you can help. “But it’s not something we can do alone,” Sotelo added. “To help us reach our goal of 1,000,000 students, we would like to invite moms all over the country to support the e.Studyante program by buying P&G promo packs.”

Through the “e.Studyante” program, you can help give a child a laptop by buying specially marked P&G promo packs available nationwide. You not only save up to 40% on your favorite P&G products but you also help provide a child with a world of educational materials and fun activities that will inspire them to learn and achieve even more.

Participating brands include Safeguard, Tide, Pampers, Downy, Ariel, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Joy, Rejoice, Whisper, Olay, Gillette, Vicks and Ambi-Pur.

Helping those in need has never been easier. You can help make each child’s journey to school more worthwhile. Support the e.Studyante program and help gift each student with a brighter future! Isang laptop, mas malawak na kaalaman, mas magandang bukas.

December 12 completes the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence against Women and Children (November 25-December 12) as observed worldwide every year. The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), chaired by the Department of justice (DOJ) has chosen this year’s theme as “Laban Kontra Human Trafficking, Laban Nating Lahat”. The Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT)  groups that includes ECPAT as NCR lead convenor carry this year’s theme as ‘Komunidad Palakasin, Child Trafficking Sugpuin’.

From December 5 to 12, through the efforts of ECPAT in collaboration with the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), metro cinemas will show Animated Faces, a 37-second video infomercial about child sex trafficking.

Animated Faces is a short video about the true stories of three (3) girls who survived sex trafficking. It was produced by ECPAT with support from the Inter-agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT). There is also a one-minute radio infomercial by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) to be aired in at least sixty-eight (68) PIA provincial radio networks  while provincial cable TVs will also show the Animated Faces video.

The video and radio infomercials are aimed to foster awareness of this ugly reality in our midst. Internal trafficking of children remains a huge problem in the Philippines. A study published in 2009 has found that domestic child trafficking in the country presents more challenges than cross-border trafficking. Internally, women and children are trafficked from poor communities and rural areas to urban areas such as Metro-Manila, Angeles City and Cebu City.

The Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT), composed of over forty (40) organizations nationwide, also states that there is an increasing number of child victims coming from urban areas like Quezon City who are trafficked to the rural areas in Luzon. This indicates an increasing threats for children not just in rural areas but in highly urbanized cities as well.

When confronted with human trafficking problems, everyone is encouraged to report to authorities by calling Action Line at 1343 in Metro Manila and 02-1343 for those in the provinces.

The iSchools Project was a computerization initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) which is set to wrap up this year. DOST said that its roll-outs of the iSchools Project in different parts of the country have revealed a “confusing” software policy among schools, especially “with what appears to be Department of Education (DepEd)’s continuing promotion of paid productivity software.” DOST also revealed it has opened discussions with DepEd to urge the agency to use FOSS (free and open source software).

The Project manager of iSchools, Antonette Torres said, “DepEd’s involvement with Microsoft is neither conducive to creating an environment favorable to ICT skills development for students, nor justifiable when no-cost software alternatives are already being offered.” As a computerization program, the iSchools Project have given computer laboratories with open-source operating systems (Ubuntu 10.04 and EdUbuntu). It has also conducted training workshops, which included Computer and Internet Literacy Course, CampBlog content development program, PC Recycling, Library Management, among others.

According to a case study posted in Microsoft’s official website, DepEd opted to use its software products since it is 33-percent more expensive to train teachers in open-source software. This could be true, iSchools said, considering the number of years that Microsoft has invested in the local education sector. But, the project team said this has resulted in the Philippines having “Microsoft dependent instructors that need Microsoft programs to fully utilize their skills”. The iSchools Project proponents said the country’s student population and faculty should never become dependent on a single technology and vendor such as Microsoft.

The group said its “closeout” workshops have revealed that DepEd’s “Microsoft dependency” has also given the agency no choice but to prescribe the use of specific proprietary software in its curriculum. “DepEd’s refusal to train its teachers on the use of FOSS stunts the opportunity to nurture the skills needed to adapt to a 21st century learning environment,” iSchools said.

“Our instructors and teachers become who they are through years of tedious learning. Stereotyping them as people incapable of learning new things is a complete paradox to their roles in society. Learning forms a huge part of their being, especially as frontliners of the department in-charge of our country’s education. DepEd should be more thoughtful in the long-term repercussions of their policies — most especially their current Microsoft involvement,” Torres added.

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