THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said the digitalization process needs to be made more inclusive if the Philippines is to catch up with the rest of the region.
“Even as the Philippines has made strides in digital transformation with rapid growth in digital payments, e-commerce platforms, and online public services, the country remains behind its Southeast Asian neighbors,” the PCCI said in a statement on Thursday.
“As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region accelerates toward a digital economy, the Philippines must take decisive action to close the digital gap or risk being left further behind,” it added.
PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio said robust and inclusive digital infrastructure is needed for digitalization to take off, with a special focus on broadband access in rural and underserved areas.
“If we are to achieve inclusive and sustained growth, local governments, schools, and enterprises operating in rural areas must have the same level of access and reliability as their urban counterparts,” she said.
“To be competitive, cost and speed must be equivalent to or even better than those of our neighbors in ASEAN who are already years ahead of us in small-business digitization, e-commerce adoption, and digital government services,” PCCI President Consul Enunina Mangio said.
She said more must be done beyond recent reforms like the amendments to the Public Service Act, the SIM Card Registration Law, the Digital Transformation Roadmap, and the National Fiber Backbone project.
“Connectivity must be treated as critical infrastructure, on par with roads, energy, and ports,” according to Dennis Anthony H. Uy, PCCI director for Information and Communication Technology.
“There should be more strategic investment in both fixed and mobile broadband networks, especially in underserved regions, to enable more participation in the digital economy,” he added.
The group also sought streamlined permit processes for telecom infrastructure and enforcement of infrastructure sharing policies. — Justine Irish D. Tabile