SAN FERNANDO CITY (PIA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is encouraging business owners to expand and engage in e-commerce or the trading of goods and services on the internet.

DTI Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco in her lecture during the 5th Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Summit staged by the city government here on March 12, cited the Google Temasek e-Conomy SEA 2022 Report that the Philippines has the fastest growing internet economy in Southeast Asia.

Pacheco said it is must for Filipinos, especially the business owners, to maximize the said country’s potential in the internet economy.

“Nagno-normalize na ‘yung trend pero kahit wala ng lockdowns, marami pa rin ang bumibili at nagta-transact online,” Pacheco said.

She added, “And for DTI, we want to use that opportunity for economic growth.”

DTI is geared towards the promotion of a robust digital economy environment in the country where online businesses, including the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), can develop and improve to compete not only domestically but globally.

Pacheco said the government is doing everything to boost e-commerce, focusing in the areas of policy, capacity building, automating government, investments and infrastructure, and even on communication and advocacy.

“We are undertaking programs to digitalize our micro, small and medium enterprises, and we are promoting and trying to bring digital transformation to SMEs, government, and also to our human capital,” Pacheco said.

The assistant secretary disclaimed, “Hindi natin sinasabi na bibitawan na nila yung physical form ng business nila pero mas palalawakin lang natin yung access as we bring it in the online platform.”

This year, Pacheco noted that DTI is working on e-commerce projects like the e-Ani or exhibiting the local agricultural products over digital platforms and the e-Bayad or paving a new avenue for SMEs for their digital payments. (JCR/MJTAB/CGC, PIA Region 1)