By Brian Jules Campued
The Philippine economy has shown a robust and “amazing growth” under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Google Philippines said.
Google Philippines Country Manager Jackie Wang made the statement during the question-and answer portion of the World Economic Forum in Malacañang on Tuesday, adding the government’s data reflect the tech giant’s digital economy reports.
According to Wang, the Philippines’ digital economy has seen a US$23-billion growth in merchandising value since 2023 and has a compound “giga growth” of 16%.
“Our reports reflect a lot of what you mentioned about the growth potential and the amazing growth that we’ve seen in the Philippines,” she added.
Marcos, in response, urged the private sector to help the government improve the country’s internet connectivity and strengthen critical infrastructure against cyber attacks.
“Well, we are still at the level where we are worried about connectivity and we are working very hard because being an island nation that becomes a real factor, that becomes a real challenge,” the President said.
Marcos cited a survey conducted by the administration that found an estimated 95% of Filipinos’ payment transactions are conducted over the internet, prompting the government to address the cyber security issues in the Philippines.
“We have many instances where there are scams, there is hacking. We, in terms of actual security, we also have been–have fallen victims to great many of these nefarious activities,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive stressed the importance of the private sector in ensuring cyber scams and cyber attacks are effectively managed. – avds
