Digital Innovation Needs Public and Private Support

September 12, 2020

In the most recent Global Innovations Index, the Philippines jumped up by four places, putting it in the top 50 list. This report was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, an agency within the United Nations that covers matters concerning copyrights, trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property issues. The country’s upturn in the index shows a perceived improvement in overall innovation through indicators such as infrastructure development, research, and business sophistication.

While we must commend this increase in rankings despite the health and economic crisis, it must also be taken with a grain of salt. An increase in ranking does not necessarily translate to actual progress and development. The adverse effects brought about by the pandemic has resulted into an economic fallout, wherein the adoption of technology has become key to economic recovery.

Digital tools have allowed Philippine commerce to continue despite lockdown restrictions. Innovative solutions such as mobile banking, e-commerce, and work-from-home tools have proved greatly useful in ensuring business continuity. In addition, digital platforms have supported health and education efforts through telemedicine and e-learning.

Ultimately, for these platforms to further develop and succeed, private innovation needs to be supported by sound policymaking and investment from the public sector. While innovative systems can be developed by enterprising individuals and successfully deployed by the private sector, these cannot be sustained without legislative and administrative support.

Moving forward towards the revival and sustained development of our economy, creating new jobs can only be ensured through a future-proofed society empowered with digital solutions. The world at large is moving towards a digital economy, and to guarantee the Philippines’ continued integration in global trade, we need to develop our digital infrastructure.

The private sector has already made concrete commitments to invest in creating systems to facilitate digital solutions. Most notably, key players in our telecommunications industry have committed to invest in digital infrastructure. The government must reciprocate this with support through investment, fair policies and regulation, sufficient fund allocation, and the removal of unnecessary red tape.

CitizenWatch Philippines calls for government support to our telecommunication industry as our country works together to build a new and better normal. This requires a continued improvement of digital infrastructures to allow innovation to continue and integrate Philippine commerce with global markets. We must build on the success of past public and private partnerships, which, if applied to our present situation, will foster a future-proof Philippines with the full adoption of digital solutions and technologies.

Filipinos have proven to be innovative throughout the crisis, but such innovation cannot continue without government support and a robust digital infrastructure!