DIGITAL Pilipinas a movement to move the Philippines forward and faster to digitalization officially launched its Innovative Cities initiative in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry — Board of Investments (DTI-BOI) last week. Aimed to tech up one city at a time by linking the local government units, the academe, and the private sector through technology to creating multiple centers of excellence.
The Innovative Cities initiative also aims to raise the Philippines’ innovation and technology quotient (TQ) to strengthen local economies and grow their industries, while focusing on making the country relevant in digitalization and Web 3.0 conversation. The City of Makati was chosen as the program’s pilot in collaboration with the Resiliency Innovation Sustainability & Entrepreneurship (RISE) Certification Program.
One example of this tech up is the amplification of skills-based training in the education sector. This means creating the manpower with the skills necessary to run the digitalized future of enterprise, called Industry 4.0. The current trends, according to Amor Maclang, Digital Pilipinas and World Fintech Festival Convenor, is for digital platforms for learning, not only full-online or hybrid classrooms but more focused on “snackable” bits of learning that have immediate potential for employment.
“The only way we can collectively increase the country’s technology and innovation quotient is if we localize the response to innovation and technology,” Maclang, who is also the Fintech Philippines Association Executive Director and Trustee, and GeiserMaclang Co-founder said in her opening remarks.
Asked how this system would work when currently enterprises and businesses HR department’s still consider a 4-year college term as a “legacy” qualification for employment, Maclang replied by saying that there are many companies, particularly in the BPO and programming, coding spaces that look for qualified talent with specific skills and that adoption of this process in both the academic and business spaces is increasing.
There are 31 cities identified by the Digital Cities Program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, that fits into this education-to-employment space. These include information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) companies outside of Metro Manila. Nine of them have successfully completed their five-year roadmaps: Balanga, Batangas, General Santos, Iligan, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Taytay Rizal, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.
“Together with our partners, we look forward to creating regionally relevant solutions for everyone; and, at the city and provincial level that can then plug into a more extensive national and international ecosystem,” she continued. “Technology will not wait for anyone, and the Philippines has left the station, and we need to keep track,” Maclang added to emphasize the urgency in adopting technology and innovation.
On the fintech space, Yani de Guzman, CEO and co-founder of investment holding company Ronin, said the program was created to gather creative minds and provide them financial access through funding and mentoring.
“What we hope to do is to provide startups the P500,000 financial aid when they reach certain milestones to ensure that the grant is helping them create a sustainable business, develop their structures, and form a solid legal foundation for their businesses. We will show and give them an opportunity to pitch [their ideas] in front of qualified investors,” de Guzman shared.
Maclang showed muc appreciation for DTI-BOI Usec. Fita Aldaba’s role in the initiative as well as her push for digitalization in the specific spheres of development. Aldaba underscored the critical role of technology in building a city or a nation, adding that the government views emerging technologies “as drivers to achieve sustainable development.”
“We can create new products and solutions in smart building, digital health, and vehicle tech. The acceleration of digital innovation paved the way for the digital economy in the Philippines, with revenues projected to reach USD 25B by 2025,” Aldaba expressed.
Makati Mayor Abigail Binay noted that the startup route is the best way to explore opportunities. Makati City’s Legal Officer Atty. Michael Camina echoes Mayor Binay’s sentiments on teching up the city towards global standards. He shared some of the steps that the LGU has been taking to tech up its services, particularly in the shift towards an innovative mindset.
“I hope for the Philippines to rise higher in the global economic scene. We believe that we can enable the startup ecosystem to help businesses thrive and get ahead in the curve,” Binay commented and she also explained how Makati City set a strong initiative in the health space, one of the priorities of the Digital Cities initiative, especially after the pandemic.
“We have an online system for booking for the Ospital ng Makati. But we know that there are still so many things people can do; that’s why it is important to hear them pitch their ideas and support them in further education,” Binay emphasized.
“The ideas should emanate from the locals because they are the ones who understand the pain points of the region. The people in the regions have smarts and can develop products. And we want to be able to translate these into policies into doable, attainable plans,” Nap Juanillo, Assistant Secretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Group of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-OACIG) said as he expressed his agreement with the Digital Pilipinas Innovative Cities initiative to localize innovation.
In the same way that the Digital Pilipinas’ Innovative Cities initiative will be developed for other LGUs, de Guzman also makes it clear that the RISE Challenge, while establishing its base in Makati City, is open to entrepreneurs all over the Philippines: “This pandemic has prompted a more conscious desire for Filipinos to support local entrepreneurs. We should take advantage of their ideas, strike while the iron is hot, and we will be there to assist you in your journey.”
Maclang also pointed out the partnership’s vision for Makati. “We are looking forward to creating a sandbox environment to inspire entrepreneurs to develop disruptive ideas and not be afraid to take risks because the DTI has put in place policies to support their journey. They say it takes a village to run a successful business. Luckily, we’re bringing in the entire city of Makati and the support of national line agencies to help these businesses.’
With sustainability becoming increasingly essential in defining a company’s brand values, many are facing challenges in designing an effective plan to implement their sustainability strategy.
There are of course several factors that may weigh in the final planning, but innovative technologies are deemed as an increasingly important tool in ensuring the success of companies’ sustainability strategies. — with Raymond Tribdino
