FPJ Panday Bayanihan Lawmaker Representative Brian Poe has urged stronger national action to ensure emerging technologies lead to inclusive growth and public accountability, as he addressed innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders at the Global Emerging Tech Summit (GETS) 2025 held at the Bataan People’s Center.
With this year’s theme focused on ‘Driving Innovation Through Digital Bayanihan,’ Poe emphasized that the country’s digital progress must be guided by shared responsibility and reinforced democratic values.
‘Our prosperity in this new era will depend on our ability to lift each other up-not by carrying homes on our backs, but by carrying ideas, opportunities, and the burden of governance together,’ he said.
‘Innovation must always have a soul, and that soul is bayanihan.’
Poe outlined a three-pillar legislative approach aimed at building a secure and human-centered digital economy:
* Philippine Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (HB 01196)
Establishes the Artificial Intelligence Development Authority to ensure ethical, transparent, and people-first AI deployment.
* Career Transition Assistance Act (HB 02766)
Supports workers impacted by automation through reskilling programs, wage subsidies, and guaranteed job reintegration, particularly for those in the BPO and creative sectors.
* National Budget Blockchain Act (HB 04489)
Introduces a tamper-proof public ledger to track government spending in real time, enhancing transparency and eliminating opportunities for corruption.
He noted that the blockchain transparency initiative is aligned with broader national efforts, including parallel proposals in the Senate such as SB 1330, known as the ‘Blockchain the Budget Bill,’ which seeks to place the entire national budget on-chain for public visibility from release to auditing.
Poe also commended the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for advancing government digitalization programs such as eGOVchain, which promotes blockchain use in public services to improve transparency, efficiency, and cybersecurity safeguards.
Highlighting Bataan as a case study for regional innovation, he pointed to the province’s thriving economic zones, expanding digital economy, and strong collaboration among local government, national agencies, and private firms in building a future-ready startup ecosystem.
‘The Philippines is ready to move beyond isolated pilots toward integrated partnerships that deliver undeniable national impact,’ Poe said.
‘No institution can achieve this vision alone. True innovation happens when we combine technology and solidarity.’
He also reiterated that emerging technology must always uplift Filipino communities rather than leave them behind.
‘It is not how fast we innovate, but how fair and ethical that innovation becomes,’ he said.
‘The future will not wait, but it will belong to those who choose to build it together.’