According to Presidential Proclamation 931, Series of 1996 and House Resolution 33, the first week of December is declared as the National Exporters’ Week. This was done in order to obtain total commitment of the government and the private sector to continuously work together to sustain export promotion and development. Over time, this annual event became one of the most important business events of the year. It is usually celebrated by the regional offices of DTI, Philexport and academe, with various activities that are in line with the theme of that year. One of the biggest highlights of any NEW is the National Export Congress (NEC), which updates and helps businesses become the best and most competitive version they can be.
This year’s NEC, with the theme “Driving Exports Through Digital Transformation,” will be held from December 2 to 6 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City from 8 am to 4 p.m. It is also the 24th NEC, marking over 20 or so years of constant innovation in the export industry. The event will be organized by the Department of Trade and Industry through the Export Marketing Bureau, in collaboration with the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) and Export Development Council.
As the world is in the middle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution the theme is quite timely. Technology is changing at a never before seen rapid pace, forcing businesses into an age of digital transformation, lest they want to be left behind. FIRe demands businesses to innovate to stay on top, or create new business models all together. Compared to the previous industrial revolutions, which centered on mechanization, mass production, and computing and automation, FIRe’s central focus is on the merging of physical and digital technologies, its disruptive and redefining industries. With technology rapidly changing by the day, the export sector must learn to adapt to them and learn to thrive in a digitally oriented economy. Moreover, adapting to a digital world will also “future-proof” the people working within the system, allowing them to enhance and develop new skills as entry, level jobs are expected to phase out some time in the near future due to FIRe. The succeeding generations must be prepared to become business analysts and business intelligence practitioners that are adaptable and quick to learn in order to keep up with the pace of the constantly developing technologies. The congress will help people adjust to the digital world so that they will not be caught off guard and be able to go through uncertainties with a bit more ease.
“NEW 2019 is timely as digitalization is rapidly revolutionizing the trade and commerce landscape,” said Philexport President Dr. Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. He also made mention the results of a recent Philexport survey on e-commerce, which showed that most Filipino firms are already aware that going digital is crucial. Half of the companies here in the Philippines have already engaged in e-commerce, while those that have not stated that they have plans to do so in the foreseeable future. For them, this only proves the pressing need for companies to go digital if they want to continue their businesses.
Indeed, technologies such as cloud computing, big data and analytics, mobile solutions, social and collaborative systems, Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the economic landscape faster than anything done in the previous years. Through this congress, Filipino micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) exporters alike are offered a look at different, innovative ways to enhance their competitiveness through digitalization. Along with this, they can learn the ins and outs of digitalization and use it to their advantage. The congress will also take a look at the critical role of technology and collaboration in growing exports.
Some of the common questions the congress will answer are; do businesses under the export industry have the strategic clarity or focus to grow under such a dynamically changing, competitive exports landscape? How can the digital economy or FIRe in general, support export growth and promote sustainability? What are the imperatives for the export leaders, policy-makers, and even workers? Through answering these questions, they hope that more and more Filipino businesses will become more educated and well versed in the new world of digital marketing, propelling the Philippine economy to newer and greater heights.
Along with this, the congress also aims to showcase the solutions for each topic being presented from the point of view and/or actual experiences of relevant stakeholders such as government, academe and industry leader. It will analyze the technological landscape and discuss how new and emerging technologies are shaping the Philippine industries and the export sector. The congress will also examine industries and the export sector to find out if they are agile and resilient enough to face the risks and challenges by these disruptive technologies. They will analyze whether the country’s policy environment is conducive to the development of resilient industries like the export sector. Finally, they will identify the implication of FIRe for the country’s human capital development, trade and industrial strategies and examine supply and demand side constraints that need to be addressed to ensure that Philippine industries and the export sector and work force are able to adjust and flourish under FIRe’s new normal.
The congress invited many esteemed guests to serve as speakers from different sectors, such as Philexport President Dr. Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. and Managing Director-Center of learning at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Pia Roman-Tayag. The event will also include panels that will educate participants on how one can use digitalization in the export industry. It will line up top experts to provide updates and information on, among others, financing support and fintech, self-certification, electronic certificate of origin, innovation programs for exporters, and SME-oriented solutions and technologies. It also invited government officials such as Under Secretary Abdulgani Macatoman, the Department of Trade & Industry Chairman and Ana Mae Lamentillo, the spokesman and chairman of the Build,Build Build Committee, to give updates on the state of the local economy and how digitalization can affect it. NEC will also give due recognition to the top Filipino exporters of 2018.
However, the congress is not the only thing the NEC has to offer. National Exporters’ Week will also feature Usapang Exports, which are free information sessions for exporters, and the exporters’ bazaar. Philexport will also be conducting several regional and sectoral consultations with SME exporters during the week’s activities.