PH digitalization ‘still fairly uneven’
Despite the increased digital adoption over the past two years, experts from Voyager Innovations Inc. and the Philippine Development Foundation said that digitalization in the Philippines is still uneven.
Voyager Innovations President Shailesh Baidwan said that the problem lies with “consistency and the kind of availability and usage” of internet services.
He explained that people are still consuming data in small sachets “so [when] they run out of data, it’s not a continuous ongoing access.”
Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) Chairman Francisco Sandejas added that many Filipinos were not able to study or work during the pandemic due to a lack of internet access.
“The digital divide to me is that gap between the rich and the poor, with respect to their access to all the good and essential services that are enabled by ICT (information and communication technology),” Sandejas stated.
To lessen the digital divide, the PhilDev Chairman stated that the government and the internet service providers should work together and explore providing subsidies for essential services related to accessing social media.
According to a study released by tech giant Google, consulting company Bain & Co., and investment firm Temasek, about 12 million new digital consumers were added in the Philippines in the first two years of the pandemic.
The country is also hailed as one of the largest markets for the gaming industry and social media — with Filipinos spending an average of four hours per day on social media apps.
