Latest news with #ArsenioBalisacan
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Marcos admin wants seven bills enacted before new Congress starts
President Marcos address both chambers of Congress. Screenshot from RTVM/LIVE via PDI/ANN MANILA: The Marcos administration is pushing for the enactment of seven priority bills for the remaining six session days of the 19th Congress. At their meeting this week, the members of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council said the following bills are scheduled for deliberation in the Bicameral Conference Committee: Amendments to the Foreign Investors' Long-Term Lease Act; Rationalisation of the Mining Fiscal Regime; Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act; e-Government Act/ E-Governance Act; Konektadong Pinoy Act; Virology Institute of the Philippines; and Blue Economy Act. The Marcos administration remains 'hopeful that the remaining set of bills will be passed just in time before the end of the 19th Congress,' said Arsenio Balisacan. He is Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). So far, 32 out of the government's 64 common legislative agenda bills have been enacted into law. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DEPDev urges Congress to pass 7 priority bills before session ends on June 13
The newly-created Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has called on Congress to pass seven priority measures crucial for connectivity and healthcare before the 19th Congress officially ends on June 13. In a statement, DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the seven bills include: Amendments to the Foreign Investors' Long-Term Lease Act Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act E-Government Act / E-Governance Act Konektadong Pinoy Act Establishing the Virology Institute of the Philippines and Blue Economy Act. All these measures are pending the approval of the bicameral conference committee composed of contingent from the House of Representatives and the Senate. 'We thank the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for their dedication in crafting sound, strategic, coherent, and responsive policies for our country. We remain hopeful that the remaining set of bills will be passed just in time before the end of the 19th Congress,' Balisacan said. 'We look forward, in particular, to the Konektadong Pinoy Act - a critical bill that DEPDev has been championing for some time. We firmly believe this measure holds immense promise in transforming the lives of all Filipinos by ensuring reliable and affordable Internet access,' he added. The Konektadong Pinoy Act aims to improve digital connectivity in the country and provide affordable internet access for every Filipino by enhancing market accessibility, upgrading physical and digital infrastructure, and enabling full participation of individuals and businesses in the digital economy. The 19th Congress will resume on June 2 for a six-day session before it adjourns sine die on June 13. The 20th Congress is set to convene its first session day on July 28. The LEDAC serves as the primary consultative and advisory body to the President, ensuring synchronized executive development planning and congressional budgeting. For the 19th Congress, the Council identified 64 bills expected to advance the country's socioeconomic and development goals. Senate President Francis Escudero earlier said the Congress needs to focus on passing these priority measures first before the Senate convenes as Senate impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Dutetre. Escudero has rescheduled the reading of impeachment charges against the Vice President from June 2 to 11, or the last day of session since Congress only conducts plenary sessions from Mondays to Wednesdays. Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, with over 200 congressmen endorsing the complaint against her. She was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes mainly over alleged misuse of around P612.5 million worth of confidential funds and threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza, and the President's cousin and Speaker, Leyte First District Rep. Martin Romualdez. The Vice President, for her part, said she is looking forward to her impeachment trial in the upcoming 20th Congress because she 'wants a bloodbath." —Llanesca Panti/AOL, GMA Integrated News
Coin Geek
21-05-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
Philippines eyes 2028 roadmap to bolster innovation, AI governance
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The Philippine government is intensifying its efforts to establish a unified and dynamic innovation ecosystem, with a clear roadmap set for 2028. During the 2025 National Innovation Day celebration in April, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan outlined the country's vision as part of its long-term development goal. 'With the National Innovation Council or the NIC's launch of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document 2023-2032 or the NIASD, we have charted a roadmap for establishing a dynamic innovation ecosystem in the country,' Balisacan said. He emphasized the country's target of rising to the 43rd spot in the Global Innovation Index by 2028, from its current rank of 56th. Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan delivering his keynote speech during the 2025 National Innovation Day celebration at Quezon City, Philippines. (Source: DepDev/Facebook) 'To achieve our target of reaching the 43rd rank by 2028, we would need to accelerate our efforts in the following: First, providing a nurturing environment for basic research and development and knowledge creation; Second, supporting market-driven and customer-centered research and development; Third, scaling up technology adoption, utilization, and commercialization; And fourth, promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, as highlighted in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 or the PDP,' he said. The NIC, created under the Philippine Innovation Act, is tasked with coordinating this national effort. According to Balisacan, building the ecosystem requires strengthening research capabilities and increasing the number of skilled Filipino researchers, scientists, and engineers. 'Human capital investments are a top priority as we ramp up support to boost the number of Filipino scientists, engineers, and researchers and align ourselves with our peers in the region. We will reform our basic, technical-vocational, and higher education institutions and engage local and international Filipino experts,' Balisacan added. Breaking barriers, empowering innovation Balisacan also stressed the need to remove rigid policies that hinder innovation and emphasized the importance of enabling MSMEs to become globally competitive. 'The NIC will steer efforts to remove the barriers to innovation by updating policies that are too rigid and enable Filipino innovators to flourish and collaborate even as we celebrate specialization and expertise. Policies must also enhance the productivity and competitiveness of our micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs and enable them to integrate seamlessly into global supply chains,' he said. He reported that since the enactment of the Philippine Innovation Act in 2019, the government has funded 38 innovative projects with a total budget of nearly PHP163 million ($2.9 million). These projects have targeted water access, food security, and energy challenges and helped open innovation facilities to a broader range of local actors. 'A whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach is needed for innovation to flourish. We must lay the necessary foundations and advance the essential programs with the support of the academe, businesses, and our international and development partners,' Balisacan said, calling for a collaborative approach. In what he called the 'unboxing' of a new mindset, coined Filipinnovation , Balisacan urged Filipinos to dismantle outdated attitudes toward risk and embrace values that cultivate a spirit of creativity and critical thinking. 'In contrast, we must nurture, amplify, and celebrate those Filipino values which will breed an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, such as the traits of empathy or malasakit , critical thinking or pagiging mapanuri , creativity or pagkamalikhain , imagination or pagiging maharaya , and the spirit of collaboration, or ang diwa ng bayanihan ,' he said. DOST pushes for national AI strategy Parallel to these innovation goals, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) spearheads a national strategy to harness artificial intelligence (AI) in ethical, inclusive, and relevant ways to everyday Filipino life. Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. unveiled the National AI Strategy for the Philippines (NAIS Ph) in his keynote message during the event. 'Building on these milestones and the momentum of a whole-of-government approach, it is now time to take the next bold step. To ensure that our efforts are strategic, inclusive, and future-ready, we are proposing a National AI Strategy for the Philippines or NAIS Ph,' Solidum said. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. delivering his keynote speech during the 2025 National Innovation Day celebration in Quezon City, Philippines. (Source: DepDev/Facebook) The strategy spans five key areas—workforce, infrastructure, innovation, ethics and policy, and deployment—set for phased implementation from 2024 to 2028. These areas will support AI applications in vital sectors, including agriculture, education, creative industries, smart cities, and national security. 'Ultimately, by 2028, we [DOST] envision a future where AI powers inclusive innovation, strengthens governance, uplifts communities, and drives globally competitive industries, building a sustainable, tech-enabled future for all Filipinos,' Solidum said. Toward a collaborative AI ecosystem Central to DOST's AI roadmap is creating a Collaborative AI Ecosystem consisting of two foundational elements, the AI Factory and the AI Refinery . The AI Factory will focus on preparing the groundwork— governance, policy, ethics, and workforce training—while the AI Refinery will connect academic institutions and private companies with real-world AI applications through intensified research and development. 'To improve course completion rates, we will encourage trainees to have a clear AI deployment plan before enrollment and work closely with organizations to ensure that newly acquired skills are directly applied in the workplace,' Solidum said, referring to the agency's education initiative leveraging platforms like Coursera and SPARTA. In addition to training and research, the DOST is also pushing the frontier of scientific computing. According to Solidum, the country is on track to increase its high-performance computing (HPC) capability by 26 times by 2028. 'A cornerstone of this effort is the establishment of a National HPC Center, complemented by new regional HPC sites that will bring advanced computing resources closer to researchers across the country,' Solidum said. DOST also plans to localize AI adoption through its regional offices by deploying customized solutions to MSMEs. The AI Hub, or i-Hub , will match regional demands with AI-powered technologies using autonomous AI agents. 'These investments ensure the Philippines is not just participating but helping shape the future of AI and scientific computing,' he said. Building the foundations of a future-ready Philippines With the Philippines targeting 2028 as a pivotal milestone for national innovation and AI integration, the combined strategies of DepDev and DOST reflect a shared ambition: to build a research-driven, inclusive, and tech-enabled future. By aligning efforts in education, research, infrastructure, policy, and industry engagement, the Philippine government aims not just to elevate the country's innovation ranking but to ensure that development efforts translate into real, measurable benefits for Filipino communities. In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI . Watch | The Philippines startup boom: Highlights from Sinigang Valley Build Startup Festival title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
Reuters
14-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Philippines less vulnerable to global trade shocks, says economic minister
MANILA, April 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines' relatively low exposure to trade compared to its Asian neighbours offers a buffer against global economic shocks, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Monday. "The economy is not as vulnerable to shocks in the global marketplace as our neighbours... because the Philippine economy's exposure to trade is fairly small," Balisacan told a press conference. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. However, he cautioned against complacency, stressing the importance of strengthening export performance by diversifying markets and addressing investment constraints so the country could take advantage of trade diversion opportunities resulting from the sweeping U.S. tariffs. "We need to double, even triple, our efforts to improve the investment environment so investors see the Philippines as a viable destination," Balisacan said. The Philippines has not been spared from the global trade wars triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, with Washington threatening levies on Filipino exports. The Philippines, which already has free-trade agreements with countries such as South Korea and Japan, is actively pursuing a similar pact with the United States to safeguard and expand market access. Balisacan said it was premature to revise the country's economic targets despite the heightened uncertainty. He noted that resilient domestic consumption, which makes up around three-quarters of GDP, should continue to support growth. He believes hitting the lower end of this year's 6.0% to 8.0% growth target remains realistic.
