Philippines pushes development of e-commerce

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government is pushing for the development of the local e-commerce industry in recognition of its increasing role in the discussions and decision-making among process-member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it recently participated in the China-Asean workshop on e-commerce held in Beijing to promote a clearer understanding of the importance of e-commerce in the context of global economic integration.

DTI said it hopes to not only reinforce the industry locally, but also to strengthen e-commerce cooperation among government and businesses across the region.

“E-commerce has now been a catalyst for a number of economies and continues to expand its market in the world, however there are other factors that need to get done for us not to be lagged behind,” said DTI Undersecretary Prudencio Reyes Jr.

“With the potential of future growth of Philippine e-commerce, this workshop can contribute in creating a plan on integrating technology to facilitate the ease of doing business and its impact to our SMEs and global value chain in having a better access in international market among others,” he added.

The DTI said the three-day workshop was attended by Asean member states the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia.

Each member state sent three participants to the workshop representing government authorities for the information and communications technology, e-commerce, and research institutions.

The DTI said discussions on the said workshop have focused on three main agenda: interconnection, interworking and government service; the innovative practice of e-commerce; and cross-border e-commerce and cross border ecology

“Although the government has these initiatives, we are encouraging the private sector to take the lead, to strengthen our collaboration and partnership, and to meet the vision of e-commerce,” Reyes said.

The DTI together with the stakeholders set the groundwork for the formulation of “2020 E-commerce Roadmap” through a forum in December last year.