AN OFFICIAL of the Regional Development Council XI said that local government units (LGUs) should adopt digitalization starting from the barangays.
During the Davao Regional Development Plan 2023-2028 launch last May 23, RDC XI co-chair Arturo Milan said digitalization is “a must and no longer an option.”
Milan also suggested that since barangay offices issue certificates and other identification data, there should be a business portal to warehouse all data to make it easier to generate information.
Milan said that LGUs could also use digitalization for tax mapping purposes to generate more revenue by identifying which property owners paid their taxes.
“I hope we can fast track [digitalization] because the pandemic taught us a lot of lessons where some businesses did well because they were prepared for digitalization, and some were forced to go into digitalization to survive,” he said.
Leaking of data
BusinessWorld reported on May 23 that the Philippines ranked 42nd out of 250 countries and territories with a total of 48,747 leaked accounts in the first quarter of 2023, based on the latest data breach statistics produced by virtual private network service provider Surfshark.
In response, Department of Trade and Industry Regional Office XI regional director Belinda Ambi said ICT groups must look into this.
Ambi said that while online business applications, transactions, and other processes are critical, consumers must be guaranteed safeguards when doing business online.
“It is the reality. There are a lot of scams online,” she said.
