NANAWAGAN si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa lahat ng world leaders na palakasin ang suporta para sa digitalisasyon ng micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs),  na aniya’y prayoridad ng kanyang administrasyon.

Sa kanyang naging interbensyon sa  isinagawang  APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) Retreat Session, binigyang diin ni Pangulong Marcos ang  “importance of adapting to e-commerce” kasabay ng pagtukoy sa papel ng MSMEs  na gagampanan sa muling  pagbuhay sa  ekonomiya, paglikha ng  employment opportunities, at pagpapagaan sa kahirapan.

“However, they continue to face systemic problems and structural challenges heightened by the pandemic. MSMEs need opportunities and assistance to recover, grow, and progress in the post-pandemic and digital age,” wika ng Pangulo.

“This is in addition to facing complex challenges that going digital presents, such as data privacy and cybersecurity issues, lack of digital infrastructure, digital fraud, online consumer protection concerns, digital inclusion, and access to finance and the persisting digital divide, among others,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Ang nasabing sesyon ay dinaluhan ng mga lider ng ibang  APEC members gaya ng  Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Estados Unidos, at Vietnam.

Ang pahayag ng Pangulo ay pagsusog sa ipinalabas na kalatas ng  Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) na  makakadaupang-palad niya ang ibang lider  para talakayin ang food at energy security  at ang  economic inclusion ng  Philippine MSMEs.

Tinatayang may  150,000 MSMEs ang inaasahan na permanenteng magsasara  dahil sa  COVID-19 pandemic, ayon sa research group na IBON Foundation.

“Data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed that out of the 1.080 million businesses that operated in the Philippines in 2021, 99.58% were MSMEs. This includes 978,612 or 90.54% micro enterprises, 93,230 or 8.63% small, 4,437 medium, and 4,531 or 0.42% large,” ayon sa ulat.

Sa kahalintulad na event, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na ang tugon ng mga  economies sa environmental challenges dala ng  globalization ang magdedetrmina ng kapalaran ng planeta.
“How economies respond is critical in determining the fate of the planet we live on and will pass on to our future generations,” ayon sa Pangulo.

“The world currently faces the greatest environmental challenges of all time — that it continues to pose threats to the planet, and that is one existential element that we all have to deal with,” aniya pa rin. (CHRISTIAN DALE)