QUEZON CITY, Sept. 8 (PIA) - “Pandemic is a catalyst for change,” said National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Carlos Bernardo O. Abad Santos in a recently concluded webinar of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS).
In celebration of the 18th Development Policy and Research Month, PIDS held the first of a series of webinars where Abad Santos discussed Innovation in Public Sector Governance for resilience under the New Normal -- Pandemic: Catalyst for Change as one of the highlights.
"Digitalization has increased in both the public and private sectors to cope with the present crisis... [it] has emerged as key enabler of activities by minimizing human contact while maintaining communication and engagement," Abad Santos said.
He added that the pandemic has caused disruptions in the domestic economy -- community restrictions limited movement of people and business operations; [the] near shutdown of the domestic economy; and, the government provided an exceptional amount of social assistance and stimulus measures.
Further, he stressed that society and the economy will operate in the "new normal" shifting away from the old, manual and analog practices -- working on controlling the spread of diseases -- thus, the government is fast-tracking, addressing the top three recommendations without delay:
- Make fast internet affordable and available for all Filipinos by streamlining permits for infrastructure provision, and rationalize fees imposed by national and local government agencies, and private sector associations;
- Digitalize government processes to promote social distancing and administrative efficiency -- mandating agencies to go digital by offering e-permits and e-payments; and
- Make e-commerce transactions safer and trustworthy.(MCG/PIA-IDPD/CBOAS)
