Central Luzon is now home to the first Digital Transformation Center (DTC), which supports digitalization and service businesses.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) collaborated with the Japanese government to open the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) in Mabalacat City, Pampanga.
This project, which is supported by the Japanese government, aims to promote resilience and economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Serving MSMEs
By giving local companies access to digital resources and training, the DTC hopes to increase their competitiveness and promote job creation while promoting sustainable development in Central Luzon.
“The centre will support enterprises in Central Luzon to overcome the digital divide and address the lack of digital infrastructures that make it hard for small businesses to succeed in a digitized economy,” said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.
In his speech at the project’s launch, First Secretary Chihiro Kanno of the Japanese Embassy emphasized that one of the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of digitalization, particularly for enterprises.
"The Government of Japan is honored to be part of this endeavor. Rest assured of Japan's steadfast support for the Philippines as we put much value on the longstanding friendship between our two countries," he said.
Capitalizing on digitalization
Through the Bringing Back Jobs Safely Project of the ILO, the Government of Japan provided funding for the development of the DTC.
The DTC would address the public's training needs, especially those of MSMEs looking to enhance their operations through the use of digitization in order to achieve business sustainability.
Along with the DTC project in Pampanga, the ILO, DICT, and Japan worked closely to develop a corresponding facility in Cotabato City, offering computers and satellite-based internet access to MSMEs in locations where connectivity is a concern.
These attempts to increase capacity showed that MSMEs were changing under the new normal and that businesses needed to adjust by raising awareness of workplace health and safety and assuring their sustainability through digitalization.
