Existing railway personnel and maintenance staff can now access self-paced training courses through an online learning platform launched by the newly established Philippine Railways Institute (PRI) with a P307-million grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Among the ICT-related projects being implemented under the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program include the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project and the National Broadband Program.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has warned that any delay in the implementation of contactless toll payment scheme would only make motorists and personnel manning the toll plazas vulnerable to the Covid-19.
The government will be requiring airport passengers next month to download Traze, a QR code-based app jointly developed by local firm Cosmotech Philippines and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), which will be pilot-tested in four airports to strengthen the government’s fight against Covid-19.
Although all expressways will be implementing cashless toll collections, motorists without RFID stickers will still be allowed entry to the toll plaza but will be led to an area where their vehicles will be provided with the RFID stickers.
Borrowers who wish to know their creditworthiness can now request for their credit report online, according to the Credit Information Corporation (CIC).
But a report from the World Bank noted that the country’s Internet connectivity – the foundation of the digital economy – is limited in rural areas, and where they are available, services are relatively expensive and of weak quality.
A recent survey conducted by the World Bank (WB) revealed that almost two-thirds of Philippine companies have turned to digital solutions for sales, marketing, and payment methods to adapt to the new normal.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is conducting a recent test run of the unified electronic ticketing system at the Port of Batangas and the Port of Calapan in Mindoro prior to full rollout next year.
An official of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) warned of the risk of financial exclusion of some sectors even as the "new normal" makes going digital imperative.
