Philippines lauds China's ICT company for cultivating local young talents

MANILA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin lauded China's Huawei for cultivating young talents of information and communications technology (ICT) in the country at a scholarship program launched here on Monday.

As the world becomes more digital, Locsin said Huawei has seen it fit not only to be a business for profit but also to build a better future.

"Seeds for the Future, apparently named as such, has been spreading and cultivating ICT expertise across the global expanse. Its beneficiaries are able to acquire ICT Knowledge first hand while collectively building their network of ICT talents," Locsin said.

Seeds for the Future is Huawei's flagship global corporate social responsibility program, aiming to develop skilled, local ICT talent and bridge communication between countries and cultures. Since the program reached the Philippines in 2015, more than 100 Filipinos have benefited and are now making contributions to the Philippines' ICT industry.

Prospero de Vera, chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines, said this program had became one of the most awaited events by aspiring ICT experts in the country.

Fidel Nemenzo, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman, said Huawei's program is "important and timely" as new technologies like 5G, AI, and Cloud computing will be introduced to the young generation.

As a global leader of ICT, Huawei said it is committed to promoting ICT industry development in the Philippines.

Jay Chen, vice president of Huawei Asia Pacific Region, said the company would continue cultivating digital talents in years to come, promising another 50 million U.S. dollars over the next five years to develop 500,000 ICT talents in the Asia-Pacific region through several programs, including Seeds for the Future.