Inclusive Asean digital economy sought

MANILA, Philippines — A more inclusive and borderless digital economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is being sought by ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) Philippines chair Jose Ma. Concepcion III.

At the ASEAN Tech Summit Manila on Tuesday, the founder of Go Negosyo stressed that ASEAN’s digital transformation must create opportunities for everyone, especially micro, small and medium enterprises, women entrepreneurs and other underrepresented sectors.

“We want to have an inclusive economy. Many of these people who are in micro business are women. These are the people we must help,” Concepcion said.

“Digitalization has done wonders by providing access to markets, fintech and these new technologies. This will enable our entrepreneurs to scale up. ASEAN will only be successful if we truly make it inclusive,” he added.

The ASEAN-BAC Philippines is committed to ensuring that the benefits of the country’s ASEAN chairmanship will trickle down to the “bottom of the pyramid” by bringing opportunities closer to ordinary Filipinos, Concepcion said.

Concepcion cited the Trabaho at Negosyo initiative as a platform to engage more Filipinos and demonstrate how they can participate in ASEAN’s economic integration.

Go Negosyo’s Trabaho at Negosyo program offers free entrepreneurship mentoring and job matching at urban centers nationwide.

Josephine Romero, senior adviser for digital and AI at the ASEAN-BAC Philippines, said the council has established its first-ever permanent working group for digital and innovation, a milestone in the organization’s 25-year history.

Romero highlighted the successful conclusion of negotiations for the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.

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