Government should strengthen its partnership with the private sector to achieve digital transformation and readiness, as a strong majority of Filipinos believe that the benefits of technology can create jobs and business and that the private sector can help accelerate economic growth.
This is one of the main takeaways of the first session of Pilipinas Conference 2021: Sustaining Economic Recovery Post-Pandemic Towards 2022 and beyond, organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi).
“It’s stakeholder capitalism at work,” said Stratbase ADRi president professor Dindo Manhit in his opening remarks.
Manhit disclosed the results of a Stratbase-commissioned Social Weather Stations survey that said almost nine in ten Filipinos (89 percent) agreed that “the benefits of digital technology such as strong cell phone signals, fast e-banking and social media can greatly help create jobs and businesses.”
Respondents from the National Capital Region agree more overwhelmingly, at 94 percent, to the statement.
Ninety-two percent of respondents nationwide say the government should build, upgrade and extensively expand the country’s digital infrastructure to improve speed, reliability and access to the internet nationwide.
Some 82 percent of respondents say the growth of the economy will be accelerated if the government collaborates with the private sector.
Asked to identify issues that the private sector can address to boost the economy, 65 percent of respondents cited creating jobs, 57 percent expanding
livelihood, 46 percent helping uplift the lives of Filipinos out of poverty, 30 percent i proving healthcare systems, 22 percent i proving the quality of education, and 11 percent improving the quality and access of digital services.
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA), chairman of Ayala Corporation, said the pandemic had worsened the fissures of inequality
that were already present in our society even before the pandemic.
“In this sphere, unprecedented collaboration is demanded of us – the private sector, government, and civil society, both locally and globally — all of us have to work together.”
Thus far, he said, “the private sector has established itself as a reliable partner of the government in addressing the people’s most urgent paint points.” These pain points include poverty, hunger,
health emergency and unemployment.