About Janette Toral

Janette Toral is dubbed as “The Mother of The E-Commerce Law – RA8792″ and recognized as an IT champion promoting the sector locally and internationally.

 

You can interact with her by joining the DigitalFilipino.com Club.

 

Here’s more information about the person:

 

Professional Experience

She has more than 16 years of working in the IT sector and has done consulting/training work for various companies.

 

In 2001, through DigitalFilipino.com, she was instrumental in bringing Bigfoot.com to Cebu City. The company at present has more than 100 employees and one of the biggest IT firms in Cebu City.

 

Since September 1997 to the present, she has been frequently invited to various IT conferences locally and internationally to talk about IT developments in the Philippines.

 

Writing and Publishing Experience

• Editor of the Philippine Internet Review project documenting 10 years of the Internet in the Philippines launched last September 2004.
• Published the 1st IT-focused Statistics publication with DigitalFilipino StatsReport that began last June 2002

 

• Published two E-Commerce books in the Philippines, “The DigitalFilipino: An E-Commerce Guide for the eFilipino” last June 2000 and DigitalFilipino.com E-Commerce Workshop E-Book last May 2004.

 

• Published the 1st E-Commerce research website in the Philippines with DigitalFilipino.com (https://digitalfilipino.com) last September 1999.

 

• She’s also a freelance writer since 1995 writing about e-commerce and IT developments in the Philippines. She has written articles for international publications such as Business Online, asia.internet.com, and World Executive Digest.

 

Advocacy Experience

• In 2002, she was instrumental for the establishment of the Microsoft Training Center in partnership with VCTI-IT.

 

• She created awareness about the Capability Maturity Model and Capability Maturity Model Integrated since 2001 that lead to the national government’s priority work areas for 2003. Brought the first SEI Authorized public training for both CMM and CMMI in the Philippines in partnership with SEI authorized providers.

 

• In April to November 2002, she organized the 1st Philippine E-Government Awards sponsored by PICS and co-conceptualized its 1st National E-Commerce Congress. The awards is recognition given to Philippine government agencies who came up with projects in compliance with Republic Act 8792 or the E-Commerce Law.

 

• She negotiated for the Philippine Internet Commerce Society to represent the Philippines in European Information Technologies Week (SETI), Paris, France in 2002 and 2003 where she got CITEM’s interest to support the said event.

 

• She’s a recipient of the CyberFair Ambassador Award, given by the Global SchoolHouse last June 1, 2002 in Taiwan, recognizing the effort of bringing CyberFair in the Philippines. CyberFair is an annual competition among students of primary and secondary schools around the world which she brought to the Philippines in 2001.

 

• Last October 2000, she was appointed as the convenor of the Legal Cluster of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council
  (ITECC) and stepped down in August 2001 after the ITECC reorganization. Archives of ITECC Legal Cluster activities can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecomm-irr

 

• Since August 1998, she lobbied for the passage of
  the E-Commerce Law and in crafting its implementing rules and regulations (IRR). She also functioned as consultant to Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr. on e-commerce legislative matters. Archives of IRR activities can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecomm-irr

 

• She organized One Internet Day in 1999 that played an important role in the passage of the E-Commerce Law. Through it, she established key allies in Cebu, Davao, Iligan, Cagayan De Oro, and Catanduanes. She was able to establish allies as well with OFWs in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

 

• In January-March 1999, she was heavily involved in lobbying for the passage of the Y2K Law and served as a Technical Consultant to the Y2K Congressional Oversight tasked to review and comment on the reports submitted by the Y2K
  Commission and Y2K Contingency Task Force in aid of oversight work.

 

• Founder of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society which she started in September 1997. She lead the organization as president from 1997 to 2002. At present, she already retired from PICS.

 

You can email her at janette@digitalfilipino.com.

 

In the News

• Discussion lists
  January 27, 2003
• Cashing in on the mobile craze
  January 24, 2003
• Survey shows discontent over gov’t support for outsourcing
  January 21, 2003
• Text Games: Gaming or Entertainment?
  December 5, 2002
• A Wireless Champion
  September 17, 2002
• Women as IT Experts
  September 15, 2002
• Mobile Filipino
  September 9, 2002
• It’s books galore at Phil. Bookfair 2002
  August 30, 2002
• CPL Philippines out to get a slice of the European ICT pie with EITSC
  August 8, 2002
• E-commerce Law deadline one-year extension sought
  July 14, 2002
• Options still open on e-government platform
  July 5-6, 2002
• Amazon, MyAyala Named as Shopping Site of Choice by Filipino Online Buyers
  July 5, 2002
• Reports on RP online shoppers
  July 4, 2002
• Survey shows RP online merchants need to shape up
  July 3, 2002
• O”Reilly Emerging Technology conference: breaking old regulations and old habits
  May 16, 2002
• Call centers in, local dotcoms out
  April 12, 2002
• Success in SETI 2002
  April 11, 2002
• Strong growth seen in online retail sector
  March 7, 2002
• 20th Anniversary of Personal Computers: Where does the PC go from here?
  December 12, 2001
• More local content seen as key to boosting RP”s Web traffic
  October 3, 2001
• Farmers on the Net
  July 26, 2001
• E-COMMERCE ACT 1ST ANNIVERSARY; MAGSAYSAY LEADS HONOREES
  July 20, 2001
• RP’s e-commerce law turns a year old
  July 20, 2001
• Digital divide (Part II)
  July 16, 2001
• e-Government Connecting government with business sector
  May 2001
• Head of ICT policymaking body’s legal cluster resigns
  June 3, 2001
• Future of Internet still bright in RP — experts
  March 31, 2001
• SOUTHERN LUZON E-COMMERCE CONGRESS SET
  February 27, 2001
• Women on the Web
  February 2001
• IN SEARCH OF AN IT AGENDA FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION
  January 23, 2001
• MORE PROTECTION MULLED FOR E-CONSUMERS
  January 23, 2001
• Will Cellular Phones Dominate the Philippine Market?
  2001
• ANTI-ERAP HACKERS TOY W/GOVT WEBSITES
  November 30, 2000
• Cebu has Silicon Valley potential
  October 2, 2000
• FASTER ACTION SOUGHT ON IT, E-COMMERCE THRUST
  September 1-2, 2000
• Philexport releases primer on e-commerce rules
  September 1, 2000
• TDG Holds Annual Economic Briefing (pictures)
  August 17, 2000
• E-commerce law may promote money laundering
  August 4, 2000
• Visions of RP”s electronic future: No more queues,no more endless waiting
  June 23, 2000
• Ng Khai Development Corporation Participates E-Commerce II Conference
  May 26, 2000
• Notes
  April 9, 2000
• Management Association of the Philippines Annual Conference Highlights
  March 2, 2000
• More Internet-based firms to sprout; Net hook-ups in RP to soar 500%
  February 18, 2000
• CUSTOMS INSIDERS ALLEGEDLY DELAYING IT PROJECT
  April 15, 1999
• Private Sector Sets Up Own Y2K Task Force
  February 17, 1999
• Philippines Government To Learn About E-Commerce
  November 16, 1998
• E-commerce faces many obstacles
  March 25, 1998