Recognizing the importance of having access to the internet for growth, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) underscored the urgent need to address the challenges in the country’s shift to digitalization. (Photo courtesy of DICT) “Access to the internet means access to opportunities,” said DICT Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Foreign Relations Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo. Lamentillo kicked off the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) International Women Committee’s (IWC) Keynote Speaker Series for 2023 wherein she tackled the digital gender gap and the challenges faced by women in the digital world. The IWC is an informal committee at the ADB that “promotes internal dialogue” within the ADB community and supports ADB’s International Women Staff. Among the activities of the IWC is the Keynote Speaker Series where notable women profiles are invited to talk and discuss various issues. Lamentillo was invited to be the first speaker for the year and discussed her efforts to promote women's empowerment in the digital economy.

Lost opportunities for women

The Philippines, Lamentillo explained, is among the 32 countries in the world that have “missed out on USD 1 trillion” in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which resulted from the exclusion of women in this field. Lamentillo said that 65 percent of the country is still “not connected to the internet.” This, she added, motivates DICT to “go further” when it comes to its initiatives to connect every barangay in the Philippines to cyberspace. “We want to make sure that no Filipino, regardless of age and gender, is left behind in the transition to the digital age,” Lamentillo said. Lamentillo also stressed that it is “imperative to make sure that in the shift to the new normal, no one is left behind by equipping Filipinos with the tools and skills they need to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”