QUEZON CITY (PIA) – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) once again reiterated the importance for the public sector to work and partner with the private sector in the government’s aim to digitalizing the bureaucracy.

“There is a need for the public sector to work and partner with the private sector to encourage growth, promote investments, make sure that private enterprise acts in the best interest and welfare of the general public,” President Marcos said in his speech as guest speaker in the launch of the National ICT Summit 2022 in the Manila Hotel.

The President believes that the private sector leads the technology in the country because it finds and innovates most quickly in the field of commerce. And while this is evident, he said it is up to the public sector to learn these new technologies, new techniques and to take full advantage of it in order to provide the best possible services that the government can offer to the people.

Despite the country’s rank of 89th out of 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Survey, he is certain that with the help and cooperation of all, most specially  the private sector, and with the leadership of DICT, the plan for the country's digitalization is achievable.

PBBM's attendance in this year's National ICT Summit is in line with his administration's bid to pursue digitalization and technological innovations.

In his first State of the Nation Address delivered on July 25, Marcos asked Congress to pass the proposed E-Governance Act which promotes the use of internet, intranet and other ICT to provide opportunities for citizens.

The event with the theme, “Toward a citizen-centric, inclusive, and sustainable eGovernance ecosystem”, was attended by the officials and personnel of the DICT led by their secretary, Ivan John Uy, officials and members of the Chief Information Officers Forum (CIOF) Foundation, representatives from the academe and the private sector, and national and local government officials. (PIA-NCR)