THE Philippine government is eyeing to launch by the end of the year a service that aggregates e-commerce platforms which could benefit small entrepreneurs, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
“We’re launching before the end of the year. Secretary Alfredo Pascual is also very passionate about this launching—the Philippine e-commerce platform so this is to aggregate all solutions of the Philippines,” DICT Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol said at the Digital Sign-Up Now 2022 event on Monday in Pasay City.
The DICT undersecretary said this will spur more jobs and livelihood. Hence, he encouraged all small merchant-attendees at the Go Negosyo event to onboard their businesses to the online platform once it’s launched.
When he joined the state visit to the United States of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on September 23, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy divulged that a “single and extensive” e-commerce portal for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be deployed with the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Here, MSMEs can provide products and services online—an ecosystem where they can take full advantage of digital payments and participate in the digital economy.
To aid the small merchants in engaging in a digital payment facility, the DICT chief earlier said the agency will address the issue by working with the Trade department.
Uy also noted that “all they need to do is to register and post their products or their services and the whole ecosystem where logistics, marketing, payments, access to credits and source materials will be integrated in a single platform simplifying the process to join the digital economy.”
Spearheading the Digital Sign Up Now 2022, Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria A. Concepcion III said, “There has never been a better time to become an entrepreneur as today, when digital technology is making it easier for MSMEs to level up their businesses.”
“The MSMEs benefited immensely from the e-wallets, the delivery apps, and social media, which allowed them to compete alongside the big players. And this is significant for all of us because MSMEs generate more than half of the jobs in the Philippines,” Concepcion added.
According to the Go Negosyo statement released on Tuesday, hundreds of MSMEs, founders of digital startups, key executives from leading digital technology companies and incubators, experts in the creative industry, as well as young professionals and students in the field of digital technology flocked to the event which featured a forum with key players in the country’s digital arena and learning sessions from digital creatives, fintech experts, e-commerce executives and some of the country’s top social media influencers.
