Business and Economy
PH eyes rollout of more ICT infrastructure
FILE: Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning Ernesto Pernia (Photo By Philippine Information Agency, Public Domain)
MANILA — The government is pushing for a faster roll-out of information communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for various sectors of the economy to meet growing demand and strengthen inclusivity.
“ICT has the power to foster inclusivity, enable security and efficiency, as well as strengthen connections between individuals, communities, and sectors,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia Thursday during a public symposium on integration and inclusiveness in a digital society.
Concurrently the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General, Pernia said the use of technology to support financial services, also known as Fintech, is expected to bridge the gap between banks and the unbanked and underserved markets.
He cited as an example the collaboration of FINTQ with Camalig Bank in Catanduanes wherein digital lending was introduced this year to teachers and personnel of local government units.
Pernia said to date, FINTQ and Camalig Bank were able to disburse a loan amount of at least PHP15 million to qualified individuals in several towns of Catanduanes through online transactions, thus eliminating the need to physically appear in the bank.
The NEDA chief said digital reforms are also being introduced in the health sector.
Pernia noted that the Department of Health’s vision for e-health strategic and framework plan is to have an ICT-enabled Philippine Health System by 2020.
This will increase access to quality health care services, as well as real-time and quality health data and information for evidence-based decision making, he said.
The NEDA chief further cited data indicating that 47.
8 percent of respondents use the internet while 32 percent of households have internet access at home.
Based on statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Philippines ranked 89th out of 137 countries worldwide in terms of readiness to support online shopping and other business-to-consumer electronic commerce.
“We are confident that we can improve on these figures,” he added.
(PNA)
