#1 Realization from 2018 and Its Significance to Today's "New Normal"
Giving back to the community. Surigao State College of Science and Technology.
In early 2018, my Orangehub family and I went on to visit universities in the remote areas of southern Philippines as part of our social responsibility drive. We brought an introductory seminar and workshop to 3rd/4th year university students and introduced remote work, centering on rural impact sourcing.
For those who don't know, Rural Impact Sourcing is a project by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, which "aims to promote and develop the online freelancing industry / homebased outsourcing through advocacy workshops and technical trainings in the rural areas. This is intended to create meaningful ICT-enabled jobs in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in the country." (Source: Rural Impact Sourcing Program, DICT)
It was really heartwarming to see all of these students eager to listen to you and learn, to see how amazed they were with the idea of working online.
You see, in these remote areas, the only jobs available are either in local government or in aqua and agriculture. Building a career on the Internet is a new concept, something parents couldn't fully grasp yet. I would know... My family moved to Tandag, Surigao del Sur (a small coastal town in Mindanao) when I was 12 and so I spent most of my formative years in a rural setting (another story for another day).
What we did learn though while on this roadshow was that no matter how much we equip the "manpower" with knowledge and skills, we - as a country - lack the infrastructure to keep up with the digital age. In Siargao, for example, only select places got LTE or 4G signal, no lined DSL or Fiber connection. And at 6:00 PM every night, electricity went out for an hour.
Which brings me to think about this so-called "New Normal" - which is no longer just an idea, it's happening... we're living it. Schools have shut down, and we are forced to end classes because not all homes are connected to the Internet... because not everyone owns a computer.
Work in non-essential sectors have been shut down too, without a business continuity plan in place (learn more about BCP and what it means to prepare for and live in a VUCA world from my friend Connie Carey).
As Filipinos, we take pride in telling everyone how resilient we are as a people, how quick we can adapt to changes, and how calm we are when facing challenges.
And that's true. We are resilient, calm, and quick-thinking... but what use is that when we aren't equipped with the proper tools needed to ensure we continue to thrive in this new reality.
Here's to hoping the focus is shifted from tourism (for now) and put more toward building more robust infrastructure (more cell towers, durable fiber optic lines).
Affordable and accessible Internet for all!