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Blogie Robillo writes
PDF, anyone?
DURING THE TIME I was organizing the 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit (www.mindanaobloggers.com) late last year, I came to meet quite a number of interesting people. One of them is Ted Padova. Since I’ve never really delved very deeply into the world of creatives and graphics design, Mr. Padova was, to me then, just another blogger who had something of substance to say in his blog (http://davaodesigners.blogspot.com). Later I was made to realize by my friends in the world of computer graphics that this fellow happens to be a heavyweight in their field.
Ted, as everyone calls him here, is an accomplished and well-respected author and lecturer. He is invited all over the globe for seminars and conferences at which he speaks. His expertise lies in the area of Adobe Creative Suite programs, particularly in Adobe Acrobat. He has published over a dozen technical books on that piece of software and on PDF (portable document format). My friend and colleague, Christopher Cubos, brought me up to speed when he informed me that Ted is in the business of producing educational content on Adobe programs.
What is even more admirable is that, Ted not only teaches, he also does. When I interviewed him recently, he told me that he is now embarking on an ambitious series of projects involving Adobe Acrobat and how we deal with documents and forms – legal, medical, official and all sorts of record-keeping requisites. Basically, he and his partners plan to introduce to government, schools and businesses an enhanced method of accomplishing workflows that will result in the streamlining of operations.
Let’s take a university for example. Imagine a student living an hour or so away. To enroll, he will have to commute to the school to submit requirements and fill out an application form, which administrative staff will have to encode into a computer program before filing. What if this student can simply go online and fill out a fillable form from the school’s website? He would be able to transmit all required information via this electronic interface – even attach his photo and signature – and save on travel time and fare.
What about a government office? Say, the bureau that handles business permits. It is very possible to have all necessary forms available on the Web for interactive use. Can you imagine the dramatic reduction in processing and waiting time an automated system will be able to provide? Not to mention the benefits to our ecology.
Adobe’s PDF document can be deployed for such functions. While website-embedded HTML forms may also be practical for this purpose, PDF files with fillable forms are much more portable and scalable (and can be designed to be truly user-friendly). Of course, these forms may also be printed out if a hard copy is necessary.
Ted’s new company, ApoVisions Inc., is based out of Davao City, but will be engaging in IT services all over the nation. Already, he and his associates are in the process of negotiating with various entities – suppliers and beneficiaries / clients – who will all make the goal possible. This company envisions digitalized and Internet-enabled workflows being implemented in all sectors of society. Ted says that, for their bold designs to pan out, they will have to be embraced by all concerned. If it’s only a few organizations deploying PDF fillable forms, we wouldn’t be maximizing the true power of Adobe’s Acrobat software. (I have invited Ted to write about Acrobat and PDF here.)
It should be plain to see that this grand plan, though highly feasible, will not be an overnight solution to red tape. The people behind ApoVisions Inc. do realize that it will take awhile to get government offices and private companies up to a comfortable level of acceptance. But Ted Padova is here to stay. He calls himself “ang Amerikanong Pinoy”. He has fallen in love with Davao and, like many foreigners here, has decided to make our city his new home. This translates to the sustainability of ApoVisions and its objectives.
More good news: ApoVisions Inc. will be hiring skilled IT workers here and from other parts of the country. Depending on the number of projects and their scale, this new IT firm will be initially hiring between 20 to 100 designers, data management experts, Web developers, graphics designers and project coordinators. From the several training sessions in Adobe Creative Suite products that Ted has conducted (all at the Feliz Beach Resort in Matina Aplaya), he is aware of the presence of talent in Davao. And, he said, it is his company’s intention to make them productive members of Davao’s IT industry.
Ted’s dream and ultimate aim is to see the Philippines take a lead role in the Asian technology sphere. He has high hopes for this and believes that it can happen.
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