Round Table Discussion

Setting the National Agenda for Internet Cafes

Theme: The Internet Cafes of Tomorrow Developing into a Multi Service Internet Based Business

Introduction

The year 2009 is a great challenge for internet cafe operators in the Philippines. The industry is
facing more and more challenges that what it had faced in the previous years. In the different
postings in the national forum of internet cafes in the Philippines that could be found in Ulop.net
(http://www.ulop.net/) we can summarized these challenges as follows:

1. Market Saturation – it has been noticed that more and more people are setting up internet
cafes in the different communities around the country.
2. Unreasonable Prices - as the number of players increases in a particular area the level of
prices for the services offered by the various internet cafes tend to decrease as they try to
attract customers into their internet cafes.
3. Competition from Computer Manufacturers and Internet Service Providers – Computer
hardware, presence of a robust second hand PC market and internet connection fees are at
the lowest compared to the previous years thus more and more people are able to afford to
have their own computer systems at home.
4. Resistance to Change – the internet has provided new opportunities for people wanting to
engage in business but it seems that the internet cafe owners would tend to just settle to old
business models which at this time is no longer applicable.
5. Lack of Professionalism in the Industry – as more and more people are engaging the internet
cafe industry it has been noted that there seems to be a lack of professionalism among its
operators with the ongoing price wars and total disregard to regulations.
6. The Lack of a National Agenda – even though great advances has been made by the
industry, it is still considered to be a backyard industry that there is no national regulations
in place to help the industry. The task of regulating the industry is primarily given to the
local government units that has no experience or knowledge about it thus it is always
classified as an entertainment center the same level as karaoke bars, restaurants and pool
halls.
7. More and more regulations that are being set are now becoming very unrealistic. The
current move of government agencies most especially the local government units with
regards to regulating the industry is now becoming unrealistic that instead of providing
support to the industry, it has actually lead to its decline.

Thus, this round table discussion is being called in order to come up with the right environment
in which the internet cafe industry would be given its right prospective and a chance to face the
challenges it faces.

General Objective

Its primary task is to bring together the various players in the industry (internet cafe owners,
local and national government units, computer manufacturers and internet service providers) into a
discussion with the hope of creating a national agenda for the internet cafe industry.

Specific Objectives:

This one day round table discussion hopes to attain the following:

1. Bring together officers, members and internet cafe operators in Metro Manila and the
sorrounding provinces to a forum to discuss matters affecting their operations;
 2. Connect them with government officials on the national and local levels to discuss programs
or activities that will bring about dramatic changes in the internet cafe industry;

3. Bring together the internet cafe operators and representatives of other releated industries like
computer hardware manufaturers and vendors, internet service providers, software
developers and gaming companies into a forum to discuss ways in which each one could
support each other to bring about improvement in the present conditions prevailing in the
internet cafe industry;

4. Agree on a national agenda that would pushed by the internet cafe operators through the
establishment of a National Federation of Internet Access Providers that would represent the
interest of the internet cafe operators around the country.

5. Start with the preparations of convening the true Internet Cafe Congress in which the
internet cafe owners and icafe organizations nationwide would be invited for the launching
of the National Federation of Internet Access Providers.

Project Propenents:

1. Unified Lanshop Owners of the Philippines (ULOP.net)

2. Internet Cafe Association of Imus, Inc
3. Global Hosted Operating System(G.ho.st – http://g.ho.st)

Invited Guests:

 Officers and Members of the following Internet Cafe Organizations:

 Members, Unified Lanshop Owners of the Philippines (ULOP.net)

 Internet Cafe Association of Imus, Inc
 Internet Cafe Association of Marikina
 San Juan City Internet Cafe Owners Association Inc
 Manila Internet Cafe Owners Association
 Internet Cafe Association of Pasig
 Internet Cafe Association of Malabon
 Internet Cafe Association of Navotas
 Valenzuela Internet Cafe Association
 Calamba Computer Business Owners Association
 Los Banos Computer Owners and Operators League
 Other Internet Cafe Associations that commits to join

 National and Local Government Agencies

 Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT)
 Department of Education (DepEd)
 Department of Trade and Industries
 Representatives of the local government units – invited internet cafe
organizations/Department of Interior and Local Government

Target Date: May 20, 2009

Proposed Time: 9:00 a.m – 5:00 pm

Proposed Venue: Max Restaurant – Makati Commercial Center/ Gateway Mall Cubao
 Proposed Schedule of Activities

TIme Activity Speaker

9:00 – 9:30 Registration of the Participants
9:30 – 9:45 Opening Ceremonies By Video
• Opening Prayer
• Philippine National Anthem
9:45 – 10:00 Welcome Remarks/Acknowledgement of the different
Internet Cafe Organizations Participating
10:00 – 10:15 State of the Internet Cafe Industry
A Candid Portrayal
10:15 – 10:45 First Session:
The Need for a National Organization of Internet Cafe Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim
Operators Cyber Services Group
Commission on Information and
Communication Technology
10:45 – 11:00 Open Forum
11:00 – 11:30 Second Session:
Department of Trade and Industries
Government Programs that aids in the development of the
Internet Cafe Industry
11:30 – 11:45 Open Forum
11:45 – 12:00 Minor Sponsor Presentation
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch/Socials
1:00 – 1:30 Major Sponsor Presentation
1:30 – 2:00 Third Session:

Philippine Education and the Internet Cafe Department of Education

Working Together to Provide Quality Education to
Filipino Students
2:00 – 2:15 Open Forum
2:15 – 2:30 Minor Sponsor Presentation
2:30 – 3:00 Fourth Session:

The Internet Cafe and the Local Government Units A Department Of Interior and Local
Need for Greater Understandings Government
3:00 – 3:15 Open Forum
3:15 – 3:30 G.ho.st Presentation
3:30 – 4:00 Reading/Adaptation

Resolution: Creation of the National Federation of

Internet Access Providers

4:00 – 5:00 Getting of Commitments

Photo Opportunities
Closing Ceremonies

Expected Participants: 50 to 80 people