Author: user user

PHILIPPINE businesses are among Southeast Asia’s most digitally prepared firms, posting stronger adoption rates for digital payments, e-signatures and electronic authentication than their regional peers. However, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned that ASEAN remains far from achieving seamless cross-border digital trade despite the conclusion of negotiations on the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (Defa).

The Asean Digital Economy Outlook 2026 showed that 100 percent of surveyed Philippine enterprises use digital payment systems, while 93.6 percent are familiar with digital payments and digital trade tools.

The Philippines also surpassed regional benchmarks in the use of digital trust technologies, with 87.7 percent of firms adopting electronic signatures and 85.8 percent using electronic authentication.

The WEF conducted a two-year survey from 2024 to 2026 involving 1,500 businesses across Asean member states.

Despite the country’s strong domestic digital adoption, less than half, or 46.2 percent, of Philippine businesses surveyed were aware of Defa, the region’s planned digital trade framework. Still, this was significantly higher than the ASEAN average of 27.8 percent.

The Department of Trade and Industry said negotiations on Defa concluded in May, with Asean leaders expected to sign the agreement at the Manila Summit in November.

Defa seeks to harmonize rules governing digital trade, including cross-border e-commerce, digital payments, electronic transactions, data flows and digital identities, to create a more integrated regional digital economy.

Domestic readiness, regional disconnect

The WEF report pointed to a gap between strong domestic digital adoption and actual cross-border digital commerce across Asean.

Despite Asean’s digital economy being on track to exceed $300 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) by 2025 and digital exports reaching $387 billion, only 53 percent of businesses participate in cross-border digital trade.

The findings suggest that while firms are increasingly digitalized within their home markets, many still face difficulties conducting transactions across Asean economies because of regulatory and operational barriers.

‘The next challenge for Asean is to ensure that firms can use digital systems to trade, pay, authenticate, sign, transfer data and comply with rules across borders,’ the report said.

Defa implementation gaps

The report identified several obstacles that Asean must address if Defa is to deliver its intended benefits.

Among companies already using cross-border digital payments, 66.8 percent reported transaction delays, while 62.5 percent cited high transaction costs.

Paperless trade also remains incomplete. Although firms increasingly submit trade documents electronically, 58.4 percent said border authorities still require hard-copy documents, forcing businesses to maintain parallel paper-based processes.

Data governance remains another major concern, with 65.9 percent of surveyed firms citing uncertainty over rules governing cross-border data transfers.

The findings underscore the lack of interoperable systems for digital payments, electronic documentation, digital identities and trusted data-sharing arrangements across the region.

MSMEs left behind

The digital divide is particularly pronounced among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries of reduced trade barriers.

Across Asean, 73.4 percent of large firms participate in cross-border digital trade, compared with only 49.9 percent of MSMEs.

A similar gap exists in cross-border digital payments, where adoption reaches 83.2 percent among large enterprises but falls to 51.6 percent among MSMEs.

In the report’s foreword, Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said the success of Defa would ultimately depend on whether it delivers tangible gains for businesses and consumers.

‘The success of the Asean Defa will ultimately be measured by how its commitments lead to tangible benefits for businesses and people,’ Kao said.

He added that the agreement could help smaller enterprises scale operations, expand market access and participate more actively in regional trade.

Priorities for Asean

To translate Defa into practical benefits, the WEF urged Asean governments to focus on five priorities:

Accelerating end-to-end paperless trade and National Single Window interoperability;

Expanding cross-border payment connectivity and e-invoicing systems;

Strengthening digital identity and e-signature infrastructure;

Establishing more predictable data governance through Asean Model Contractual Clauses; and

Providing MSMEs with digital trade support services and simplified compliance requirements.

The report said closing these gaps will determine whether Asean can move from strong domestic digital adoption toward a truly integrated regional digital market.

Achieve Without Borders Networks Inc. (AWBN) today announced its official appointment as the exclusive distributor of the H3C and Aolynk line of products for the Small and Medium Business (SMB) market. This strategic alignment strengthens H3C’s commitment to the Philippines by ensuring focused distribution, robust partner enablement, and nationwide market development for its dynamic product line.

‘H3C’s move from Enterprise to SMB means our market finally gets excellent, reliable products at highly competitive prices,’ says Chester Que, CEO of AWB Networks. ‘They share our drive to grow the market and, crucially, they meet the strict level of professionalism that AWBN demands.’

H3C is a global leader in digital infrastructure, holding the #1 WLAN market share in China since 2008, with over 1 million routers shipped and 30,000+ high-end routers deployed worldwide. Its robust SMB portfolio includes cutting-edge switches, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 wireless access points, routers, enterprise-grade firewalls, and intelligent Aolynk solutions specifically designed for hotels, retail, offices, and all business environments.

‘A 5-year warranty in the SMB networking market is incredibly rare, and we are thrilled to bring this level of investment protection to our clients,’ says Aloha Domingo, Sales Director of AWB Networks. ‘It proves exactly how confident H3C is in their enterprise-grade hardware.’

Through this landmark partnership, AWBN will spearhead nationwide distribution, local technical support, and reseller profitability programs. With dedicated facilities in Makati, Cebu, and Davao, AWBN ensures that the Philippine rollout of H3C SMB solutions guarantees immediate availability and strong market adoption across the archipelago.

‘For our reseller and SI community, timing is everything. Most tier-one networking brands have rigid, crowded partner programs where new growth is tough. With H3C entering an aggressive growth phase in the Philippine SMB space, the playing field is completely wide open for our partners to build lucrative, long-term businesses with us,’ added Mr. Que.

The announcement was formalized during the highly anticipated H3C SMB Product Launch Event at Ship Port Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard, attended by top IT resellers, systems integrators, and industry executives under the theme: Digital for Better. Achieve with us.

Company Backgrounds and Heritage

Achieve Without Borders Networks Inc. (AWBN or AWB Networks)

AWBN is the exclusive distributor of H3C SMB Products and Aolynk SMB Solutions in the Philippines. The company provides enterprise-grade networking solutions tailored for SMBs, supported by nationwide distribution, channel profitability programs, local technical support, partner training, and market development initiatives. AWBN is a premier distributor recognized for successfully building the local presence of market-leading IT brands such as Ubiquiti, Mimosa, Cambium, Sopto, and C-Data.

H3C: A Unique Enterprise Lineage

H3C possesses one of the most fascinating corporate bloodlines in the technology sector, fundamentally differentiating it from typical regional tech brands by bridging Eastern manufacturing scale with Western enterprise standards.

The Joint Venture Origins (Huawei + 3Com): Founded in 2003 as ‘Huawei-3Com,’ combining rapid RandD with 3Com’s legendary American Ethernet networking technology.

The Western Infusion (The HP Era): In 2010, American technology giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) acquired 3Com (who had previously taken full ownership of H3C). This placed H3C squarely under HP’s umbrella, deeply embedding rigorous Western quality assurance, enterprise management practices, and standards-based technology into H3C’s DNA.

A Commercial, Market-Driven Entity: Because of this profound American ownership history, H3C evolved into a fiercely competitive, commercially-driven private entity-not a traditional state-owned enterprise. It operates with Western-style corporate governance and develops open-architecture product lines.

DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday stressed the importance of trust, cooperation, and networking among regional partners.

Teodoro made the call during the opening ceremony of the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security’s (EWG-MS) Joint Cooperative Activity (JCA) and Future Leaders’ Program (FLP) on Monday.

‘We hope that this exercise will be foundational in two things: number one, learning the procedures or getting familiar with the procedures and working together and cooperation; and secondly, develop, at an early stage, networking, trust, and cooperation amongst all the participants and your respective defense establishments and navies,’ he stressed.

Co-hosted by the Philippines and Japan as co-chairs of the ADMM-Plus EWG-MS, the JCA and FLP will feature a series of harbor and sea phase activities involving personnel, naval assets, ships, and aircraft from eight ADMM-Plus countries from September 20 to 26, 2026. Observers from fellow Asean member states and Asean dialogue partners were also invited.

Complementing the JCA, the FLP will provide junior naval officers with an opportunity to engage their counterparts on climate change, maritime security, and key topics, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Critical Underwater Infrastructure security.

Teodoro also recalled the outcomes of the Asean Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience last week, focusing on shared commitments on quicker anticipatory, science-based actions on natural calamities and disasters and the importance of secure and fast transmission of trusted information.

‘Our collaboration and cooperation are not merely in response but in early prepositioning, working together, and in detection becomes more critical,’ he said, adding that an important avenue for effective and efficient response are free open sea lanes of communication.

With the theme, ‘Enhancing Maritime Security and Environmental Resilience in Response to Climate Change,’ these activities are vital in enhancing security and resilience of individual countries, the Asean, and the broader Indo-Pacific Region.

‘We are committed to sustaining the significant progress we have made in our areas of practical cooperation, strengthening our solidarity, and to defending our principles, shared principles. I look forward to receiving feedback about key observations, lessons learned, and best practices from these important engagements which will guide us in navigating our future together,’ Teodoro also said.

THE Department of Finance (DOF) is leaving the door ajar for other wealth tax recommendations, beyond those already proposed under its Progress Bill, to scour for more sources of revenue.

Stepping out of a plenary deliberation at the House of Representatives last week, Finance Undersecretary Karlo Fermin S. Adriano told reporters that the DOF is open to hearing other wealth tax proposals as it conducts various stakeholder engagements to solicit inputs.

‘If they can think of any other wealth tax that we can consider, why not?’ Adriano said.

As of the moment, the DOF has put forward raising the non-essential goods tax to 25 percent from 20 percent. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/09/02/mvuc-rate-hike-wider-excise-tax-scope-eyed/).

Private aircraft, including planes, jets and helicopters, as well as recreational vessels such as jet skis, speedboats, sailboats and motorboats, are also being eyed for inclusion among taxable non-essential goods.

The DOF likewise wants to add a new tier in the existing excise tax rates on automobiles by imposing a 75-percent tax rate on vehicles with a net importer’s/manufacturer’s price of P8 million and above.

These propositions are part of the DOF’s Promoting Growth, Revenue, and Equity towards Socio-Economic Sustainability (Progress) Bill, which seeks to provide tax relief while strengthening the government’s revenue capacity.

As for the stakeholders’ proposal of wealth taxes, Adriano said the DOF’s main criterion is whether the tax can actually be implemented.

The finance department has considered expanding the list of non-essential goods to be taxed and previously thought of imposing taxes on luxury watches, designer bags and paintings.

The DOF has yet to determine the revenue impact of its proposal to increase excise taxes on non-essential goods and automobiles.

Another form of a wealth tax suggested by the DOF is a 15-percent Global Minimum Tax on large multinational enterprise groups to ensure that the Philippines collects its fair share of taxes on income earned in the country.

This measure is estimated to yield an average of P24.4 billion in revenues annually, according to the DOF.

In the coming weeks, the DOF will bring consultations to different parts of the country to engage with stakeholders and ensure that various opinions are incorporated into the policy-making process.

The inputs gathered from the nationwide consultations will be consolidated and considered in refining the Progress Bill.

‘We’re open naman, that’s why we’re doing all this stakeholder engagement to get all comments, and to be able to consider all the options,’ Adriano said.

The proposed taxes under the Progress Bill, including higher excise taxes on e-cigarettes, sweetened beverages and alcohol, are seen to raise P129.68 billion on average.

This will offset foregone revenues from the DOF’s plan of increasing the annual personal income tax exemption threshold from P250,000 to P350,000, as well as exempting micro and small enterprises from the minimum corporate income tax.

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to petition the Supreme Court (SC) to overturn its earlier decision and allow the police to inspect the homes of licensed gun owners to determine how the weapons are kept.

Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said the DILG is working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on a petition seeking authority for the National Police (PNP) to inspect the homes of firearm owners as part of firearm licensing and registration.

‘The Supreme Court ruled that we cannot conduct inspections inside homes. I will file a petition with the Supreme Court to make it legal for the PNP to inspect the homes of legal firearms owners to ensure that they are kept properly,’ he said.

According to Remulla, the three recent school-based shooting incidents shared similarities involving irresponsible gun ownership and safekeeping, which allowed the perpetrators to gain access to firearms.

‘There has to be a right for the State to inspect the gun owners’ premises kung tama ang storage nila ng baril,’ he added.

Remulla said existing policies already require firearm owners to use safety containers and comply with other safekeeping measures. However, the PNP currently lacks the legal authority to inspect gun owners’ residences to verify compliance with these requirements.

He emphasized that the proposed inspection must have a clear legal basis, noting that firearm ownership in the Philippines is a privilege that carries corresponding responsibility and accountability.

‘Remember, owning a firearm in the Philippines is not enshrined in the Constitution. It is not a right but a privilege. And that privilege has to come with responsibility, and that responsibility has to come with accountability, especially with the PNP,’ Remulla added.

‘We should have the power to inspect without a warrant all gun owners and how they store their guns,’ he continued.

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) has cut the time its legal team spends reviewing contracts by roughly half and reduced engineering reference searches from minutes to seconds after rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise across several departments, as it moves to scale up its enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.

The airline said on Monday that contract review time in its legal department fell to around 1.2 hours from an average of 2.5 hours following the deployment, which it carried out in collaboration with Thinking Machines Data Science and OpenAI.

Project intake and triage turnaround also dropped to around one day from five days, with approximately 80 percent less manual review effort. Engineering reference searches, meanwhile, now take under 10 seconds, down from 10 to 15 minutes previously.

After the program, 86 percent of surveyed users said AI supported more than one-third of their daily work.

Cebu Pacific tapped Thinking Machines Data Science, an official Advanced and Services Partner for OpenAI in the Asia Pacific region, to help it move beyond isolated pilots and redesign work across the business.

‘What impressed me was how quickly Thinking Machines Data Science turned broad interest in AI into real momentum across the business. They were able to activate the business and create excitement across the organisation,’ said Fabricio Ibáñez, Cebu Pacific’s chief digital and technology officer.

Under the program, the airline brought leaders and business teams together to prioritize high-value workflows and test solutions in real operating conditions. Governance and evaluation were calibrated to the risk of each workflow, while hands-on co-creation built ownership across the organization.

‘For a company that puts its customers at the center of its operations, AI helps Cebu Pacific work smarter by taking friction out of everyday processes, reducing manual work, speeding up processes, and enabling our teams to make better decisions,’ Ibáñez said.

The carrier plans to expand ChatGPT-enabled work, develop solutions using OpenAI’s application programming interfaces (APIs), strengthen change support, and pursue agentic applications that connect with enterprise data and systems.

Ibáñez said these investments are intended to improve both employee and customer experiences while creating lasting operational value.

‘At Cebu Pacific, we see AI as a practical way to make every customer’s journey simpler and our operations more reliable. It helps our people solve problems faster, make better decisions, and focus on higher-value work. Working with OpenAI technology and Thinking Machines, we are turning experimentation into real workflows that create value for our people and customers.’

SOUTH Korea’s transformation into a global economic and technological power, alongside public sector reform experiences in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, offers valuable lessons for Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as they pursue institutional and economic reforms, participants at the 13th Korea-Asean Community of Policy Exchange (Kacpe) International Public Policy Symposium said.

Hosted by the University of the Philippines’ Center for Integrative and Development Studies and the UP Korea Research Center, the symposium brought together policymakers, academics and development practitioners from Southeast Asia, South Korea and Australia to discuss how stronger state institutions can support sustainable development in Asean transition economies.

In his opening remarks, UP President Angelo Jimenez said South Korea’s rise as a major economic and technological power was built on institution-building, policy experimentation, investments in human capital and sustained national effort, offering lessons for countries undergoing economic and institutional transitions.

‘An effective policy can pave the road to national development. But the road to crafting effective policies is another matter altogether. It requires evidence, experience, institutional capacity, and, perhaps most importantly, the willingness to listen and learn from others,’ Jimenez said.

Representing Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro, DFA Undersecretary Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega said Asean and South Korea are deepening cooperation under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was elevated in 2024.

She said stronger institutions and effective policy implementation are critical to sustaining development and highlighted South Korea’s experience in public administration reform and digital transformation as a valuable source of lessons for Asean countries.

Dizon-de Vega said Asean and South Korea are pursuing people-centered initiatives aimed at promoting economic prosperity, regional stability and stronger people-to-people ties while confronting challenges posed by geopolitical tensions, climate change, supply chain disruptions and emerging technologies.

The symposium proceedings identified state capacity, public sector modernization and institutional reform as key drivers of development.

Discussions focused on strengthening diplomatic and security capacity, advancing public sector reforms and enhancing higher education and socio-cultural cooperation across transition economies, particularly Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Participants showcased a range of governance initiatives across the region.

Cambodia highlighted civil service meritocracy, salary reforms and digital governance programs.

Laos discussed anti-corruption efforts, decentralization and public financial management reforms.

Vietnam emphasized digital transformation and economic diversification, while Myanmar presented digital reforms such as the Myanmar Companies Online registry and the Myanmar Automated Cargo Clearance System, which streamlined business registration and customs procedures.

Speakers said governance reform is becoming increasingly important as ASEAN economies navigate geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain realignments and rapid technological change.

Lee Chul, South Korean Ambassador to Asean, said governments have a vital role in helping countries manage structural transitions and narrow development gaps across the region.

Lee said South Korea would continue supporting Asean transition economies through capacity-building initiatives aligned with Asean’s development priorities.

He noted that about 64 percent of South Korea’s bilateral development cooperation funding for Asean member states was directed to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, in the previous year.

The discussions also examined opportunities arising from digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

Participants emphasized the need for governments to build capable, flexible and resilient institutions that can respond to emerging economic and technological challenges while ensuring that growth remains inclusive.

The symposium drew around 160 government officials, researchers and academics from Asean, South Korea and Australia to exchange policy experiences and explore pathways for deeper regional cooperation.

‘Policies may look different from one country to another, but one thing matters most: how we build a smart, flexible state capacity to meet these challenges,’ Seung-Ho Kwon, executive director of the Korea Research Initiatives at the University of New South Wales, said.

THE raids took investigators into sprawling compounds in Manila, Bamban in Tarlac, Clark Field and Porac in Pampanga, where they encountered hundreds of workers, rows of computers, and layers of companies. Authorities said some of the sites were linked to online scams and other criminal activity.

For nearly three years, former Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) director Winnie Quidato and former spokesperson Winston Casio worked on government operations targeting Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), and investigations into alleged human trafficking and organized crime.

The two later documented their experiences in the book titled ‘The Rogue Compound: Pogos, Human Trafficking, and the Fight to Reclaim the Philippines,’ which was launched last week.

The book recounts their work at the Paocc from 2023 to 2025, when government operations targeting Pogo compounds were followed by congressional and Senate inquiries into the industry, including allegations of human trafficking, online fraud, money laundering, and organized crime.

The book recounts the authors’ experiences investigating Pogos, including how cases were developed and what investigators learned from the operations.

Government investigations and legislative inquiries have examined regulatory oversight, corporate structures, financial transactions, and allegations of trafficking, online fraud, and other crimes.

Casio said they are also working on another book focusing on the arrest and detention of Pogo personalities during their time at the commission.

‘May kasunod pa kaming sinusulat para sa gustong malaman ang kuwento sa pagkakahuli at pagkakulong sa ilang POGO personalities noong mga panahon na iyon,’ he said.