Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte recently delivered a significant keynote speech at the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E). Organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), where she championed digital transformation as the country’s most powerful tool against corruption and a key driver for economic growth.
The conference, themed “The Future is Now: Unleash the Power of Digital Transformation,” served as a platform for the Vice President to outline the crucial role of technology in reshaping both the business sector and public governance.
Vice President’s Duterte’s message centered on leveraging technology to foster transparency and accountability, particularly within government processes. Duterte was unequivocal in her assertion that digital transformation is a “weapon against corruption.” She emphasized that Automation and Transparency is key. Digitizing and automating government processes makes all transactions seamless, borderless, and transparent, effectively closing the door on “scrupulous backdoor transactions.”
Technology provides a powerful tool to impose checks and balances and monitor paper trails, helping to eliminate politically motivated decision-making and preventing the manipulation of public funds. She added, by digitizing, the government can “take away the power of corrupt leaders to manipulate public funds” for personal gain or political ambition.
This strong stance on corruption through technology resonated amidst recent controversies regarding alleged irregularities in government infrastructure projects, underscoring the urgency of her call for systemic reforms.
Beyond anti-corruption, the Vice President positioned digitalization as a strategic tool for good governance and nation-building. She believes that technology is essential for improving the country’s capacity to deliver public services efficiently and effectively, including in times of disasters and crises.
In addition, she stated that digital transformation enables significant innovation and enhances capabilities in the business sector, which is a major theme of the PCCI conference.
Acknowledging that the Philippines is lagging in global digital competitiveness rankings, the Vice President expressed a collective aspiration for the nation to lead in Southeast Asia, particularly in harnessing emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
