MANILA, Philippines — Outdated government systems and lack of tools to address growing risks are the top challenges for the country’s small and medium enterprises, which the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) hopes to help address by working with the government.
Speaking at the launch of the PCCI’s upcoming Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E), Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO Dennis Anthony Uy, who also serves as this year’s conference chair, said manual government and internal business systems, lack of resilience tools amid growing risks, as well as the talent development gap were identified by SMEs as real business challenges that they face.
Uy said the SMEs were asked to identify challenges as part of the nationwide Byte Forward Hackathon being conducted along with the PBC&E.
Uy said businesses could not compete in a digital economy with analog systems.
He also emphasized the importance of having tools to enable businesses to address risks.
“From cyberattacks to typhoons to supply chain delays,many businesses have no tools for business continuity, cyber security or rapid market adaptation,” Uy said.
When it comes to talent, he said there is a mismatch between available skills and the demands of a tech-driven economy with very few workers trained in artificial intelligence, automation, cybersecurity and other digital tools.
“These are not abstract problems — they are daily realities for retail shops, farms, delivery hubs and local governments. This is why we are transforming the PBC&E into a hands-on showcase of what the future holds,” he said.
Uy said the PCCI’s upcoming event, which will be held on Oct. 20 to 21 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, will show how technology can solve problems faced by micro, small, medium and even large enterprises.
In terms of outdated government systems, he said the PCCI and Department of Information and Communications Technology would be working with local government units to ensure the same platform is being used to serve the public.
When it comes to resilience tools, he said they would be working with the Department of Trade and Industry to help small businesses gain access to such.
“We have government agencies with the public sector making sure we are helping SMEs transform faster. That’s the aim of this conference,” Uy said.
PCCI president Enunina Mangio said the PBC&E is expected to serve as a “strategic platform designed to equip every Filipino business with the tools, insights and partnerships necessary to future-proof their operations.”
For her part, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said digital transformation is the government’s top priority.
“We are aggressively innovating our products, embracing new tools and expanding our reach into both local and global markets. We are also working with companies such as Converge to really get this going right now. We can’t wait any longer,” Roque said.