BusinessWorld
April 23, 2021 | 8:05 am
By
Bjorn Biel M. Beltran
Though far from a complete panacea to the country’s troubles during the COVID-19 crisis, digital technology and connectivity have been instrumental in minimizing the pandemic’s impact. In fact, the rapid adoption of digital technologies was recommended by the World Bank to help the Philippines overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recover from the crisis, and achieve its vision of becoming a middle-class society free of poverty.
A joint report released by the World Bank and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in October last year, titled “A Better Normal Under COVID-19: Digitalizing the Philippine Economy Now,” found that the use of digital technologies such as digital payments, e-commerce, telemedicine, and online education, has risen in the country, softening the pandemic’s blow to individuals, businesses, and the government.