Digital infra, upskilling essential to digitalization, says advocacy group
The Philippines needs to improve and invest in digital infrastructure and work on upskilling the Filipino employees’ digital skills to fully attain digitalization according to advocacy group Citizen Watch.
According to Citizen Watch Philippines Co-Convernor Orlando Oxales, these efforts will help ensure digital transformation across the country.
“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,” Oxales said in a statement.
Oxales echoed the World Bank’s recommendation to increase mobile network expansion especially in rural areas.
“The WB said it would entail reviewing and revising regulations on spectrum allocation for mobile broadband,” Oxales reiterated.
He said the Philippines must first solve the “systematic gaps” in its digital readiness by upskilling the workforce.
“The private sector has much to offer for the digital education and training of Filipino workers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and is another area for public-private partnership (PPP) that carries vast potential,” he said.
