We have arrived at a time when digitalization is no longer a luxury or a by-the-way thing, but a necessary and essential process. No enterprise will thrive or survive without having its operations digitalized for the convenience of stakeholders and customers. In one way or another, our daily transactions involve some form of digital process.
The President understands the “power” of digitalization and the urgent need for it, especially as we emerge from a long pandemic. During various engagements in the recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the President kept on highlighting the role of digitalization as a key component in sustaining the country’s growth momentum.
“The government recognizes the importance of digitalization as a key driver for long-term economic growth and as a tool for economic transformation,” the President said in one of the sessions. “We have begun large-scale deployment of digital connectivity across the Philippines to ensure universal connectivity, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.”
Part of the President’s pitch is to ensure that digitalization will empower the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) so that they could also benefit from a digital economy. To have these MSMEs — which employ a majority of the population — benefit in the process will undoubtedly lift more Filipinos out of poverty and reduce the number of social ills.
The drive of the President to ramp up digitalization is commendable as he is also aware that it is rife with challenges. He acknowledged that the government still needs to do better in terms of connecting more Filipinos online and advancing the digital economy even amidst the country’s slow internet connectivity.
“The connectivity in the Philippines is still low…it's unfortunate because some of the studies we've made (showed that) the general consumer talks to every facet of their lives through the internet, except for the government," he said.
To “solve” this challenge, an all-hands-on-deck approach is necessary, involving multiple government agencies, the private sector, even Congress. For one, Speaker Martin Romualdez has said that the House of Representatives remains “committed to passing the priority legislations of President Marcos, including measures for digitalization in both government and private transactions that would bolster efficiency, productivity, and security.”
“The establishment of the framework for digital transformation will help to enhance the prospect of the Philippines as an investment hub that President Marcos has successfully built up in Davos,” the Speaker said. “Upon the resumption of the session, among the top priorities of the House is the passage of the E-Government and E-Governance Act, which would help accelerate our digital transformation to fuel growth momentum.”
The President also exhibited receptiveness when he asked for any assistance to help boost the government’s digitalization efforts, especially in terms of establishing a cybersecurity system, a crucial part of digitalizing the bureaucracy.
To be fair, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is aware of the President’s mandate to improve the digital infrastructure so that all Filipinos, whether they may be living on an isolated island or in a far-flung barangay, will be connected online.
The WEF stint of the Philippine delegation is a wakeup call not only to continue digitalization, but to escalate and ramp up all efforts. There can be no relevant participation in the global economy if we continue to use the pen-and-paper approach. More importantly, there’s no looking back in this race for digitalization, especially now when other countries have already zoomed far ahead.