Butuan dad accepts challenge as the next ICT new wave city

By Johny S. Natad

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 20 (PIA) - Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr during the Information and Technology - Business Process Management (IT-BPM) and ITPreneurship Road Show in the Next Wave Cities in Almont Inland Resort, this city has accepted the challenge to become the next ICT New Wave City (NWC) in the country.

Amante bared that his administration is doing an 'infrastructure repair''to meet the challenge and to be part of the ICT hub in the countryside.

"As part of our efforts in doing infrastructure repair in Butuan City, we are opening soon a call center facility, which is a one hectare and 5-storey building. We also offered the Robinsons Mall tax incentives. This would give great impact to our constituents," he said.

Amante added that Butuan is now experiencing significant growth and "is now being considered as one of the most peaceful cities in Mindanao and declared as the fourth most competitive cities in the country." He also bared that the city has a standby fund for the IT-related capability building.

Meanwhile, Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communication Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) Deputy Executive Director Monchito Ibrahim expressed full support to make major cities in Mindanao to be part of the NWC category.

When asked when the city of Butuan will become the NWC, Ibrahim said that everything is possible if stakeholders will work together and work harder to achieve the challenge.

"The LGU should exert effort with partners from different sectors to generate more employment opportunities for the IT industry," he said. (JSN/PIA-Caraga)