MICRO, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Bicol can now tap a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) applications for business planning, pricing, regulatory compliance and online marketing, after the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) rolled out its MSME Digital Assistant in Naga City.
The agency, likewise, committed to underwrite the connectivity requirements of Naga City’s disaster resilience infrastructure and to study support for the local government’s planned Command and Control Center and Intelligent Surveillance System.
DICT Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Faye Condez-de Sagon, who presented the tools, said the technology is meant to close the capability gap that keeps small enterprises from scaling.
‘Harnessing AI will give Filipino entrepreneurs, especially small business owners, a competitive advantage. This stack will definitely empower them to grow, expand, and provide more job opportunities to other Filipinos,’ she said.
The MSME Digital Assistant bundles five applications built around the pain points most frequently cited by small businesses.
KaPlano handles business planning, while KaSunod guides users through government compliance requirements. KaPresyo assists with product pricing, and KaLinaw translates contracts and official documents into plain Filipino. Rounding out the suite is KaClick, a content-generation tool for social media posts and online marketplace listings.
The rollout falls under Magkasangga, a joint undertaking of the DICT and the Land Bank of the Philippines that pairs digital tools with credit access.
Condez-de Sagon also met with Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo to map out the scope of DICT assistance for the city’s digital transformation agenda, which produced the commitments on connectivity and the surveillance and command facilities.
‘We want technology to become something that MSMEs and LGUs can actually use to solve everyday problems, improve services, and create opportunities for their communities,’ Condez-de Sagon said.