Digital Pilipinas, a movement that aims to influence change through technology and innovation, was launched last week by government and industry leaders from both the Philippines and Singapore.
“Innovations are being spearheaded in the sandbox of Asia. We need to do more than just raise our innovation quotient as a country and as a people to remain competitive. More importantly, we need to demand a technology and innovation quotient from our future leaders,” said Digital Pilipinas convenor and GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Inc. co-founder Amor Maclang.
The movement has a 12-point agenda that covers fintech, govtech, and regtech; proptech; digital transformation; overseas Filipino banking; the future of mobility; insuretech; e-commerce; cyber security; internet of energy; future of education, digital cities and gaming.
In his keynote speech, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Chief FinTech Officer Sopnendu Mohanty said: “You must ensure that the sandbox will benefit all the citizens for public good. We are promoting technology for people to progress, so the public good is important to make the sandbox successful.”
“If there’s one market in Asia which has the biggest potential to completely transform, it’s the Philippines,” he added.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez noted how even before the pandemic, the government has already been utilizing digitalization to push for ease of doing business.
“The adoption of e-commerce facilitated the digital transformation of business. The government remains committed to its role in enabling different stakeholders in our country to ensure our people benefit in e-commerce,” he said.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said economies have to “adjust to modern technologies if they want to remain viable.”
“Even before the pandemic, the Philippine government encouraged the rapid rise of FinTech in our country, and our revenue agencies have fully embraced digitalization,” Dominguez said.
With the theme “A Whole of Nation, Whole of Society Approach for Technology and Innovation,” the panel discussion was led by Global Impact FinTech (GIFT) Co-Founder and Chairman Malik Kotadia. He was joined by Mohanty, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Director Ace Alvaro, Trade Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco, AFIN/APIX: ASEAN Financial Innovation Network Director Pieter Franken, and Overseas Filipino Bank President and CEO Leila Martin.
The Digital Pilipinas movement is a multi-month series of activities that will culminate on November 11-12, 2021 at the World FinTech Festival Philippines, which will gather the top tech leaders in the country to share their insights on trends and how organizations can become stronger in the new normal.
The series will be composed of pioneers, change-makers, and leading voices in the tech and innovation industry as well as emerging start-ups that flourished as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are not truly free until we control our digital destiny as a country,” Maclang said.
To join the movement, click on www.digitalpilipinas.ph or email info@digitalpilipinas.ph