I-CAFÉ PILIPINAS » i-cafe pilipinas

Get Regular Updates of I-Café Pilipinas Activities

Admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:44:06 +0000

Internet café owners who would like to receive regular email updates of the various activities of I-Café Pilipinas you can use the online registration form by clicking the link below.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG1neGRMekFXVGlhcUh5N0JtcGs0a0E6MA

Interim Report On Our Strategic Road Map

Admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:39:21 +0000

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.

Kaakibat Newsletter No. 3

Admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:54:31 +0000

The Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations Summit Is A Huge Success

Admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:56:41 +0000

By: Gener Morada

The Internet Cafe Association of Davao and I-Cafe Pilipinas has recently concluded the Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations Summit which was held last February 18 and 19, 2010 at the SM City Davao Ecoland, Davao City. The event was a resounding success with more than 300 internet cafe owners that are operating in the various places in Mindanao like in Davao City, Tagum, Digos and as far as General Santos City actively participated in its various activities.

The event also serve as convergence of personalities as internet cafe owners are able to connect with the different personalities known for their work in the ICT field. Hon. Commissioner Francisco Perez II, Information Infrastructure Group of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology addressed the participants on the important role that the internet cafes plays in the overall ICT infrastructure in the country. The city government of Davao City had shown its full support in this initiative with Councilor Peter Laviña, Chairman of the Commerce Committee City Council, Davao City welcoming the participants to Davao City. Counselor Maybel Sunga Acosta, Chair of the Education Committee City Council, Davao City informed the participants of the various initiatives of the city govern ment in promoting the responsible use of ICT in the City of Davao.

Manila-based executives and personalities like Mr. Ricky Banaag, Country Manager, Intel Technology Philipines, Ms. Fortune Magsadia, Anti Piracy Manager, Microsoft Philippines, Ms. Aileen Apolo – de Jesus, Country Consultant, Google, Ms. Yuko Lssette Domingo, Project Officer eSkwela CICT, Mr. Rick Amores of the National Computer Center and Mr. Joseph Lee, Manager iGlobe Technology also flown in to the City of Davao to be part of the Second MICAS. One of the highlights of the program was the Skype address of Mr. Andy Hansen, Co-Founder, Senior Executive Vice President & Director, DataVault Security who talked to the summit participants from his office in the United Kingdom. The Mindanao-based resource persons includes Mr. Carlo Paquera, Territory Manager for Davao City of Globe Business and Ms. Romina Go, Account Manager for LEC, DSL and Data Services of Bayan Business.

It is in this summit in which I-Cafe Pilipinas unveiled one its centerpiece program. the “Ang Ligtas Na Digital Batang Pinoy” which hopes to educate the community on the safe and proper use of modern technology. When the convenors of I-Cafe Pilipinas arrived in Davao City, they learned that there was a large outpouring of concerns regarding the internet cafes being the source of social ills like school truancy and being access points for pornography. The “Ligtas na Digital Batang Pinoy” program is a national initiative by internet cafe owners that aims in providing information in the vernacular to the community on the proper and effective use of technology in their daily activities. Unlike other programs that is already existing, the primary goal of the “Ligtas ng Batang Digital Pinoy” is to create materials that is suited to the Filipino frame of mind and could easily be understood by everyone. One of its primary aim is to incorporate such materials to be part of the regular school curriculum. I-Cafe Pilipinas believes that proper education in the use of modern technology is much more better than regulation.

In a joint statement issued by the Chair of I-Cafe Pilipinas Mr. Ed Zafra and the President of the Internet Cafe Association of Davao said that “We are proud and honored with the success of the Second Mindanao Internet Cafe Associations Summit for it has uplifted the image of the internet cafe industry in the region of Mindanao. It has provided an insight on the various initiatives that we are jointly undertaking in order to improve the conditions through convergence and closer ties among the different players in the internet cafe industry in the country.” “We are hoping that the same initiative would be replicated all over the country as we bring together the different internet cafe operators and allied ICT companies in providing better ICT services closer to the people and the community.” added by Mr. Zafra. While Mr. Solanor stressed “ the summit gave the internet cafe owners an idea on the importance of the internet cafe associations as a means to empower the individual internet cafe owners in properly managing their business.”

The convenors of I-Cafe Pilipinas and the officers of ICAD would like to thank the support given by its event partners to ensure the success of the Second MICAS which includes: Intel Technology Philippines and Microsoft Philippines as its Gold Event Partners, iGlobe Technology, Bayan Business, Globe Business, USAID’s Growth with Equity for Mindanao Program, Metro Preneur Corp, ICT Davao and DICCEP for being the Silver Event Partners and Teleglobal of the Philippines as a networker in the event.

Introduction to the Internet Café Business

Admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:53:38 +0000

So you want to become an internet café owner and I really don’t want to blame you. The business is suppose to be the in thing nowadays that there are now more people investing their hard earned money in the internet café business compared to the other small scale businesses there like sari sari stores ect. A lot of people feel that it is easy work since most of the time they just see the internet café owner sitting around all day, most of the time playing his favorite games in his server. They would often noticed that the internet café is almost always full of people, staying long hours at an end till the weary hours of the morning. Most of all, they believe that it is not a very complex business unlike the sari sari store wherein you have to purchase your supplies regularly, in the internet café all you need to do is just to set up the computers and people would start running.

The truth is that the internet café business is a very highly technical business. It requires a high degree of skill in terms of the technical aspect of the business and of course the marketing skills needed in order for you to survive in this business. One of the most common mistakes of people entering into this business is that they enter it unprepared even with the most basic knowledge they need in order to operate their business properly. Even if there is a big number of internet cafes being created all over the country the failure rate is also likewise the same.

This is the dream of I-Café Pilipinas, to empower people with information so that a new breed of internet café owners would be created far from those in the past. Empowered with a vision on what the internet café of the future would be like. ( to be continued )