The Philippines has topped the global rankings for both social media and Internet usage for the last six (06) years. Based on a report by We Are Social, there are 89 million social media users in the Philippines as of January 2021 — equivalent to 80.7% of the country’s total population with that timeframe.
But despite being called the social media capital of the world, multiple reports and studies indicate that the Philippines still lags behind its Asia-Pacific neighbors and the rest of the world in terms of digital transformation:
- The Philippines ranked 59th out of 79 countries in the 2020 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) report by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. The ranking suggests the country remains a “starter” when it comes to digital transformation.
- At 16.76 Mbps, the country’s mobile broadband speed is much lower than the global average of 32.01 Mbps. These are according to monthly comparisons of internet speeds from around the world by Ookla in its Speedtest Global Index.
- The Pew Research Center revealed that the Philippines has the 4th highest differential at 58, when it comes to internet use by age: 94 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds use the internet, at least occasionally, or own a smartphone, while 36 percent of the 50-plus crowd uses the internet.
Post-Pandemic Digitalization
During the onset of the ongoing pandemic, the Philippines had one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world, impacting many businesses and accelerating digitalization. The global health emergency magnified the significance of the digital economy in supporting economic competitiveness and resilience. Across the Asia-Pacific region, there has been an increased movement towards digitalization and eCommerce, including the Philippines. Despite this, however, the prospects of pursuing digitalization have been coupled with constraints including access to affordable technologies, poor access to quality internet, and long-held traditional operating models.
Given those gaps, public affairs and strategy firm W&R and the National University of Singapore-Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, one of the top public policy schools in the world, is organizing a discussion forum and white paper launch entitled “Digitalizing the Philippines: A White Paper Launch and Discussion Forum” on Wednesday, 29 September 2021 at 10:00 AM (GMT+8). The forum seeks to facilitate discussion on the policy reforms and industry efforts needed to promote digitalization in the Philippines. Other partners of the forum include Embiggen Consulting, University of Asia and Pacific School of Law and Governance, FEU Tech Innovation Center, Philippine Strategic Forum, and Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance.
Speakers lined up at the forum include policymakers, business leaders, and academics — Sen. Grace Poe, TG Limcaoco, Andrew Williamson, Ricky Banaag, Atty. Allan Gepty, Atty. Randy Echaus, Dr. Bernardo Villegas, Dr. Ed Araral, Dr. Francesco Mancini, and Dr. Robin Michael Garcia — who will try to answer questions about the value and benefits of the Philippines’ digitalization.
Interested participants may register for the forum via https://www.wradvisory.co/event-registration.