CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — A total of 77 representatives from 38 government agencies in Cebu participated in the training conducted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) 7 on the drafting of the Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) for 2027.
The ISSP caravan aims to raise awareness as well as help the government offices in the formulation of their respective agencies’ ISSP, which is critical in the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programs.
“Awareness and guidelines on the formulation of agency ISSP is important in ICT programs to determine the current status and identify solutions in line with the agency’s vision, mission, and mandate,” said DICT team lead and ISSP evaluator Eugene Malubay.
The participants were from national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCS), and local government units in Central Visayas.
ISSP is necessary before government agencies can purchase their ICT equipment, said DICT 1 regional director June Vincent Manuel S. Gaudan.
“When you buy laptop and desktop computers, and even hard drives, you need ISSP, because there is a joint effort with COA, DICT, and DBM to revisit budgets that were spent on ICT that does not have an ISSP. So illegal po yan na mag-spend tayo na walang ISSP for ICT (It is illegal to buy ICT equipment without the ISSP),” he said.
ICT development
ISSP is a three-year medium-term plan under the Government Appropriations Act (GAA) that requires government agencies to identify the ICT materials and equipment they need.
This plan also helps develop thrusts, strategies, programs, training and services, and costing for implementing ICT-related projects.
The ISSP process includes a review and evaluation from the DICT and endorsement from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The ISSP also includes monitoring and evaluation through a Joint Memorandum of DICT, DBM, and Commission on Audit (COA) for the pre-planning sessions and workshops of ISSP of the government agencies.
For Cebu Normal University (CNU) Information and Communications Technology OIC director Omar B. Roma, the training helped him understand the role and relevance of ISSP in crafting the ICT roadmap for their school.
“In the formulation of each agency’s ISSP, every stakeholder should be involved. The IS planner, together with the agency’s supervisors, should sit down and plan out their ICT roadmap for the next three years. An approved ISSP is now a requirement for each government agency before they could procure ICT equipment,” said Roma.
The deadline for the draft ISSP 2027 will be on April 30, 2025.
Cebu City was the fourth stop of DICT’s ISSP caravan across the country. (ZCL/PIA7)
