The need for the creation of an economic zone in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental to boost the local IT sector was stressed by Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chairperson of the Bacolod Information Technology Focus Team, yesterday.

Batapa, whose group attended the Asian Summit of Information and Communications Technology Leaders in Cebu last week, said in a press release that an ecozone is vital if both the city and the province have to be globally-competitive.

ICT is one of the 15 sub-sectors identified to be part of the ASEAN Economic Council to be created by all Southeast Asian countries by 2015.

Education tourism agenda pushed
by CHED to increase visitor arrivals

First it was medical tourism, now it's education tourism.

The Commission on Higher Education is pushing to make the Philippines an alternative educational destination for its neighboring countries, a move which is being supported by Malacañang.

The CHED program seeks "to position the Philippines as an alternative education destination to China or Russia where most Korean students normally go" and complement the government's tourist promotion program. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in statement from Malacañang yesterday that Manila is an "attractive alternative" destination for Korean students because of three main factors: the short distance between Seoul and Manila, the affordability of Philippine education, and the Filipinos' fluency in English.

Iloilo goat raisers
form cooperative

The Department of Agriculture 6 has assisted small ruminant or goat raisers in Iloilo form a multi-purpose cooperative.

Ernie Rosendo Villanueva, regional small ruminant coordinator, said the cooperative was formed after some goat and sheep raisers in Iloilo attended the 3rd Goat Congress at Cagayan de Oro City on April 25.

Villanueva said he is optimistic that the cooperative will propel the small ruminant industry from backyard raising into commercial production through proper linkages and sourcing of breeder stocks.

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