Encourage investments in digital infra, upgrade the population’s digital skills
December 14, 2022Heeding the President’s call to embrace digitalization is a parallel effort – encouraging investments in digital infrastructure and upgrading Filipinos’ digital skills. Only these will ensure digital transformation across the board.
There is no more argument that digital is the way to go. What we need to plan carefully and execute effectively is how we can achieve real digital transformation not only in select sectors or geographic locations, but across the archipelago. Collaborating with the private sector, providing more incentives, and instituting a digital skills improvement program are key steps to achieve this.
The President’s words are a cue that digital infrastructure, aside from physical infrastructure, should also be a priority in recovering from the pandemic’s crippling effects. These efforts should complement ongoing telco network upgrades and expansion.
No less than the World Bank has recommended that the Philippines pursue investments in digital infrastructure to achieve economic recovery and development, and promote investments in connectivity by ensuring an efficient allocation of spectrum and advancing public private partnership models for infrastructure.
Indeed, the new administration has its work cut out for it – harnessing the PPP framework and offering incentives that would attract more investors in digital infrastructure. At the very least, this would close the backlog of telco common towers for mobile phone signal coverage. Telco infrastructure, after all, is listed in the BOT law where private investors can work with the government as well as database facilities and information and communications technology networks.
In the same manner, resources should also be put into empowering the MSME sector; its workers must be empowered with digital skills to help scale up their operations and reach potential markets beyond their localities.
While most people resorted to online transactions during the pandemic, there remains great disparity in people’s ability to maximize the Internet’s potential in the new normal. We must, first and foremost, solve the systemic gaps in our digital readiness by upskilling our workforce.
In this area, the private sector also has much to offer – digital education and training of Filipino workers and MSMEs carry vast potential. This will align our human capital with industry demand for skill sets and allow our economy to support linkages to nurture cutting-edge digital innovations.