Nine key projects were presented and discussed by the ASEAN Member States (AMS) during the annual ASEAN Digital Senior Officials' Meeting (DGSOM) held in February 2023.
This year’s ASEAN DGSOM was led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in Boracay Island from Feb. 6 until Feb. 8. Asked why these meetings are essential, the DICT said it will help the Philippines gain support for its local digitalization plans. Not only that, these will also showcase the country’s “unwavering commitment” to ASEAN community’s initiatives.
In a press statement, the DICT said nine projects were presented by AMS. Most of it focused on the following topics: green digital initiatives, emergency response, capacity building to bridge digital divide post-Covid-19, and cybersecurity.
Apart from these, the establishment of a “Scam Awareness Forum,” was raised by Thailand. This was backed by DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue who stressed that in the Philippines, one of the national government’s ways to end scam-related activities is the implementation of the SIM Registration Law.
"The three-day meeting ended with the ASEAN Member States’ partnership with dialogue partners from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the United States of America, and the European Union," said DICT.
DICT Undersecretary and Spokesperson Anna Mae Lamentillo underscored that these high-level policy making discussions would benefit AMS on its digital transformation endeavors.