DTI backs formulation of e-commerce roadmap

The Department of Trade and Industry is pushing for the formulation of the first Philippine e-Commerce Roadmap to enable more local businesses to harness the potential of this platform, which has been instrumental in the development of the services sector.

“E-commerce has enabled the development of our ICT services sector, where we were able to establish our niche in the global market. It is about time that we harness the potential that e-commerce brings until e-commerce becomes a way of life of every Filipino,” said Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo.

The growth of e-commerce is deemed remarkable, compelling many businesses worldwide to draw on the new marketplace which is known to be more convenient and efficient.

This is why the DTI, with its commitment to catalyze and facilitate growth and enable Philippine industries, is bringing together today local e-commerce practitioners, and other key stakeholders in a forum to discuss and benchmark the “limitless growth of Philippine e-commerce.”

Domingo said the conduct of this forum, which would be a good opportunity to plan for the future of e-commerce in the country, was timely “in view of the economic growth where every business can maximize the opportunities provided through the current business and economic environment.”

According to Trade Undersecretary Prudencio M. Reyes Jr., this forum will be the first of a series of meetings aimed at coming up with an e-commerce roadmap for the country.

The e-commerce roadmap will cover the industry vision, goals and targets from 2015 to 2020 and will serve as the country’s blueprint in gaining the mutual commitment among the private and public sectors, academe and other stakeholders to bring forth a prolific e-commerce industry, Reyes said.

The Philippines was cited as one of the four “hottest e-commerce markets” in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as the domestic economy presented an especially lucrative market for online sales, the Hong Kong-headquartered Dezan Shira and Associates said earlier this year.

In the May edition of the Asia Briefing Magazine titled e-Commerce Across Asia: Trends and Developments 2014, Matthew Zito of Dezan Shira and Associates said the Philippines stood out from other Asean countries given its huge number of Internet users, making it the largest English-language online market in Southeast Asia.