University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Victoria Garchitorena

About the Lecture

The digital divide in the Philippines is unacceptably wide. The youth in the Philippines, especially those in the public school system, are left way behind their peers in this increasingly technologically advanced world. A vast majority of them will go no further than a high school education before they join the workforce. A private sector-led Social Consortium called GILAS decided to do something about it. GILAS or Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students aims to connect all the Philippines’ 5,789 public high schools to the Internet by 2010. As of yearend 2006, about 1,040 public high schools have already been connected to the Internet benefiting at least 500,000 students across the country.

Victoria P. Garchitorena is a distinguished Filipina who is considered one of the pillars of Philippine non-government organization (NGO) sector. She was founding Chair of the League of Corporate Foundations, Philippine Council for NGO Certification, Philippine Association for Volunteer Efforts, Metro South Cooperative Bank, and the Makati NGO Network. Over the years, she has served as Chair or Trustee of the following: Pinoy ME, Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation, EDSA People Power Commission, AIM Alumni Association, Mendiola Consortium, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, College of the Holy Spirit, among others. She is also a Board Member of the U.S.-based Council on Foundations and is a Senior Adviser of the World Bank’s Asia-Pacific Advisory Council Against Corruption. Vicky also served as the Senior Consultant to the Office of the President of the Philippines, Head of the Presidential Management Staff, Secretary to the Cabinet, and a Director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. She is also the Managing Director of Ayala Corporation’s Stakeholder Relations. The Ayala Foundation USA was established in 2000 as a 501c3 public charity. AF-USA serves as the bridge between US-based Filipinos and Philippine-based social development institutions, by providing a mechanism by which donations and other forms of support can reach intended beneficiaries in the Philippines.

Date and Venue: February 21, 2007, Wednesday, 2:30 – 4:00 pm, Webster Hall 104. Free and open to the public.

For more information regarding the Center for Philippine Studies, this lecture series, or disability access, call 956-6086 (Clem Montero) or email cps@hawaii.edu.

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