With the aim of positioning the Philippines as a sustainable strategic player in the global semiconductor & electronics (S&E) industry, a collaborative effort by the government, private sector, and academe has been put into motion.
On the side of government the following agencies are taking the lead:
- The Department of Trade and Industry/Philippine Board of Investments (DTI-BOI);
- Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the Department of Trade and Industry (DOST-PCIEERD).
The private sector, represented by the semiconductor and electronics (S&E) industry associations and concerned companies, and visionary academicians have also stepped up on the plate as key stakeholders:
- Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) and Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EIAPI);
- Xinyx Design, Rohm, and Silicon Verified;
- Center for Integrated Circuit and Devices Research (CIDR), University of the Philippines Microelectronics Department, De La Salle University Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, and Colegio De Muntinlupa.
[L-R: Dr. Dan Lachica, SEIPI President; Earl Cua, EIAPI President; Dr. Louis Alarcon, Director, CIDR; Ronaldo Buluran, Acting Director, BOI – Manufacturing Industries Services.]
During the IC Design Workforce Media Roundtable event held on July 17, 2024 at the BOI, Industry and Investment Building in Makati, two peer-recognized Engineers sought to enlighten the public on this campaign to retool the local S&E industry for it to better thrive in the growing global market.
[Engr. Ninaliza Escorial, Deputy Executive Director of DOST-PCIEERD.]
Engr. Ninaliza Escorial, Deputy Executive Director of DOST-PCIEERD talked about “Boostiing Semicondutor Industry Through Upskilling and Career Development.” She enumerated the council’s various initiatives such as their Human Resources Development Program which aims to enhance the scientific community’s R&D capability through degree programs, research activities, and domain expert mobilization in the industry, energy, and emerging technology sectors. Together with the Center for AI Research of the DTI. this is envisioned to massively increase the country’s S&E brain power, producing 128,000 S&E engineers and technicians by 2028.
Dr. Louis Alarcon, Director of CIDR and Head of the Microelectronics Department of the University of the Philippines enlightened the audience on “IC Design in Academia: Opportunities and Challenges.” Starting off his talk with emphasizing the importance of the taken-for-granted integrated circuit (IC), Dr. Alarcon highlighted the need to develop Filipino scientists who could leapfrog the industry at the IC design level, and train technicians who could support leading-edge S&E technology companies. The IC is the basic unit of currently used electronic devices, with applications ranging from computers, smartphones, home appliances, automobiles, up to the internet-of-things.
[Panelists during the IC Design Workforce Media Roundtable: (L-R) Engr. Robert James Lomotan, Dean – Colegio De Muntinlupa; Dr. Alexander Co Abad, Asst. Professor – DLSU Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering; Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa, Executive Director – BOI Industry Development Services; Earl Cua, EIAPI President; Dr. Dan Lachica, SEIPI President; Engr. Ninaliza Escorial, Deputy Executive Director – DOST-PCIEERD; Dr. Louis Alarcon, CIDR Director; Charade Avondo, President – XINYX Design.]
