National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Arsenio Balisacan has stressed the need for the Philippine government to push for digital transformation in the public sector and the economy to address the most binding constraints to growth and dynamism.
Photo from NEDA
Balicasan told participants of the Philippine Development Plan Forum for the Planners held recently at Astoria Plaza in Pasig City the need for the government to transform its own processes so that Filipinos can more easily access and avail of the public services.
“This is a critical initiative which I believe will be very impactful which includes our own institutions and the way we work,” said Balisacan.
“We have seen how digitalization can facilitate transactions and connections, enable innovative ways of producing and delivering goods and services, improve access to learning opportunities, prevent corruption, and so on.”
He noted that the government has started and will expedite the implementation of the National ID system (PhilSys) to support the country’s digital transformation.
“We will need the whole government to rethink and redesign their processes to realize the full potential of PhilSys in enabling digital transformation,” he said.
“I am sure that all of us can think of so many issues as well as solutions to current challenges. But now, I urge you to think of the future – to think in the long term,” he added.
During his first term in NEDA, he initiated a long-term visioning exercise which culminated in the launch of AmBisyon Natin 2040, which encapsulates the long-term aspirations of the Filipino people across different dimensions of well-being.
“We collectively aspire for the Philippine economy to grow rapidly such that we eradicate poverty in a single generation or by 2040,” Balisacan said.
“There are as many answers and preferences as there are Filipinos, and the future is riddled with uncertainty. As planners in government, we must listen and learn from each other so that our plans are carefully crafted and are responsive to people’s needs and aspirations,” he added.
