Google reaffirmed its commitment to helping build a digital Philippines by sharing key updates about its ongoing efforts around digital skilling and digital infrastructure at the US Presidential and Trade Investment Meeting in Malacañang (PTIM) this week.
Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier vice president Sapna Chadha said the company invested actively in the country’s digital development.
“This includes digital skills training and digital infrastructure improvements. Our commitment has yielded significant economic benefits for the Philippines with our network investments alone that boosted the GDP by $14 billion and created 93,000 jobs. These outcomes motivate us to further deepen our collaboration with the Philippines and our efforts as a partner in building a robust digital economy,” she said.
Among the initiatives pursued with the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is the deployment of more Google Career Certificates (GCC) in DTI virtual campuses covering over 1,300 DTI Negosyo Centers in 16 regions nationwide.
Google previously managed 40,000 GCC scholarships to equip Filipino youths, jobseekers, MSMEs, entrepreneurs and civil servants with in-demand skills in project management, cybersecurity, IT support, data analytics, UX design and digital marketing.
The tech firm reported that that the subsea cable system connecting Taiwan, the Philippines and the US is on track to be completed by the end of 2025.
The project is a collaboration with regional carriers Chunghwa Telecom, Innove (a subsidiary of Globe Group), and AT&T that commenced in May 2023.
Subsea cables play an important role in helping meet the growing demand for digital and cloud-based services from users and organizations, as well as in bringing positive trade, investment and productivity gains to a country.
“Google’s contributions will undoubtedly fuel our nation’s expanding digital economy. We anticipate that this marks the start of a more fruitful collaboration, and we look forward to partnering closely with Google in the realization of a Digital Philippines,” said Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go.