WITH the onset of the digital age in the Philippines, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is eying to establish a “Digital PH” portal in empowering small, medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

DICT planning officer Yvette Cabrera said during the Internet Governance Symposium that the digital space through the internet must be used at the maximum of its advantage in helping start-up businesses online.

“Our major program is geared in transforming the Philippines into a digital nation by providing capacity-building initiatives through setting up the start-up business ecosystem,” Cabrera said.

She added the initiative is part of DICT’s future ready roadmap 2022 in developing the country’s Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector.

The digital portal aims in stepping up the value chain of the digital business sector through seminars and technical trainings for Filipinos.

Cabrera added in this way, more investments can be attracted if more Filipinos will venture in the digital business space.

The planning officer also said the rural community will also benefit with the Digital PH portal as it is geared in giving opportunities to people in the countryside.

“The digital project therefore gives opportunity for the unemployed to become the new OFW. This time a new meaning will be given to the name which stands for Online Filipino Workers,” Cabrera said.

As of July 2018, DICT has already recorded 1.2 million Filipinos as full-time employees under their digital project initiatives.

“Out of these 1.2 million employees, 320,000 employees are outside of Metro Manila,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera added with the opportunity that the digital business space is offering, a lot of Filipinos will have a better life ahead of them. (GAD)