The fintech venture of Aboitiz is launching a group that advocates for digital transformation

UBX, the financial technology (fintech) venture studio of Aboitiz Group, recently launched the Digital Transformation ng Pilipinas (#DigiPinas) Initiative, a multi-stakeholder advocacy group that will work closely with all relevant stakeholders towards the digital transformation of the country.

#DigiPinas is composed of platform and solution providers, local CEOs, decision makers, representatives of national authorities, members of the academy and people’s organizations.

UBX President John Januszczak said #DigiPinas members will advocate for digital transformation in government, supported by enabling laws, policies and regulations, including Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act; RA 8792 or the Electronic Commerce Act; Executive Order (EO) 170 or adoption of digital payments for disbursements and collections; and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) National Strategy for Financial Inclusion and Digital Payment Transformation.

“One of our core values ​​and advocates at UBX is to include everyone and while we have come a long way towards a more inclusive Philippines, there is still much more to be done. #DigiPinas is our answer to the call for an accelerated digital transformation in government for to help bring essential and critical services closer to Filipinos,” Januszczak said.

The ongoing pandemic forced the Philippines to accelerate its digital transformation initiatives over the past two years. The move provided a positive development as it helped push the Philippines in the latest International Institute for Management Development’s 2022 World Competitiveness Yearbook, which ranked the Philippines 48th in 2021, an improvement of four notches from the previous year but still ranked second lowest in Asia Pacific.

With this, #DigiPinas intends to help the authorities in the development of technologies that transform everyday experiences, especially public services and transactions.

As a country experiencing a lack of resources, Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Director Jose Reyes said partnering with the private sector while working on synergies is key to achieving this goal.

The Philippines faces obstacles to achieving digital transformation, such as low digital adoption, lack of awareness, gaps in access, gaps in digital skills, and complex regulations. Only 26 percent of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were aware of digitization programs on offer.

Meanwhile, 32 percent of households in the National Capital Region (NCR) had access to the internet, but only 5 percent had access in rural regions such as Bicol province, according to Senator Grace Poe.

#DigiPinas will identify national government agencies and local government units that it can support through digital transformation, equipping each government partner with digital tools and solutions to bring their services closer to their constituents.

“Digitalization of public services will help reduce inequalities and disparities, as the Internet, as they say, is the greatest equalizer. But we are still far from the new digital world we seek, said #DigiPinas spokesperson Mikan Leachon.