President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. vowed to fast-track the Philippines’ digital transformation, emphasizing the need to harness technology to modernize systems, reduce inequality, and improve the lives of Filipinos.
Speaking at the Manila Tech Summit 2025 on Tuesday, Marcos highlighted the country’s progress, noting that over half of payment transactions in 2024 were made digitally due to advancements in financial technologies. He added that the digital economy reached PHP2.25 trillion in 2024, contributing 8.5% to the GDP and creating 11.3 million jobs.
“For Filipinos, digital technology means shorter queues [and] faster transactions. It means ease in paying bills, renewing licenses, and accessing government services. It also means that our farmers can register their products online, teachers can access digital tools, [and] entrepreneurs can sell to larger markets,” Marcos said.
The President cited several government initiatives, including the National Fiber Backbone (NFB), which aims to provide 17 million Filipinos with faster internet by 2028, and the full rollout of the Philippine Identification System to improve access to financial services. He also announced the expansion of the Free Wi-Fi for All Program to benefit students and teachers in remote areas.
However, Marcos warned of rising risks brought by technological advancements, such as online scams, cybersecurity threats, and job displacement caused by artificial intelligence. “Fraudulent schemes and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated every day with the aid of artificial intelligence, with digital currencies, and syndicates that know no frontiers,” he said.
To address these challenges, Marcos cited several government measures, including the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, Internet Transactions Act, and SIM Registration Act. He also stressed the importance of reskilling and upskilling Filipinos to prepare them for jobs in AI, cybersecurity, e-commerce, and creative industries.
“All of these efforts place technological innovation at the center of our governance. We aim to provide a government where technology is optimized to improve service delivery, efficiency, and transparency,” he said, urging industry leaders to make the Philippines a FinTech innovation hub and “a key voice in shaping the global financial system.”
The Manila Tech Summit 2025, now in its fifth year, gathered over 1,300 delegates from more than 300 organizations under the theme “Forging a New Global Order: Risks and Opportunities Redefined.” It was organized by FinTech Alliance.PH, the country’s largest digital industry association.