Basta E-Commerce, Madali: Philippine Govt.’s 2022 e-Commerce Roadmap

“Basta E-Commerce, Madali” is the latest stance the Philippines government has taken to initiate strategies, policies, and other measures to harness the full potential of e-Commerce to benefit the country. Driving the roadmap is the confidence that the Philippines is primed for an e-Commerce revolution.  

Power of a name

The government refers to “Basta E-Commerce, Madali” as the battle cry of their commitment to ease the process of e-Commerce. In Filipino, the root of the word “Madali” is “Dali,” which means fast, convenient, and simple, and this is how the government envisages conducting digital commerce in the country.

What does this mean for businesses interested in working with the Philippines? First, the government hopes to correct the notion that doing e-Commerce in the Philippines is slow, complicated, and unstable. Realizing the steps outlined in the roadmap will hopefully put Filipinos at ease by gaining trust in the country’s e-Commerce infrastructure and internet capabilities. Having said that and despite challenges, local businesses have fully embraced e-Commerce and vigorously participated in the evolution and growth of its enabling technology, economy, and platforms. A large, young, and growing population is propelling economic growth and resilience. Still, the country has yet to reach its full potential, talents, and abilities in the field – including obstacles such as internet connectivity. Evolution is excellent, but the government and supporting parties aim for a revolution.

Essential backing

Achieving a digital revolution cannot work in a vacuum. It requires the involvement of top stakeholders. On board are the government-launched Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP, the Philippines’ central bank), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and additional government stakeholders and agencies. As such, the country is ready to embrace e-Commerce as a core part of daily life. The impetus also stems from the Covid-19 pandemic, which served to speed up the process for the DTI and government to lay down the roadmap’s framework, building blocks, and concrete strategies to future-proof the economy for it to be valuable in the fast-moving global economic landscape.

As mentioned, the roadmap intends to deal with “trust issues” in doing business with the Philippines. Moreover, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez says that e-Commerce will be at the forefront of rebuilding the post-pandemic economy. It will offer consumers convenient ways to make transactions while providing our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) opportunities for innovation and growth. The roadmap intends to transform e-Commerce into effortless commerce and for commerce to be homogenous with e-Commerce.

The focus

The roadmap is a lengthy and detailed document (available here). Still, in a nutshell, it aims to grow and simplify e-Commerce by implementing strategies attached to speed, structure, and security. The outcome will be a fast end-to-end e-Commerce supply chain  experience involving:

• Easy access to the internet for the delivery of goods and services.
• Safe, secure transactions built on trust between buyers and sellers.
• A government that can support all of these as it is future-ready with an involved private sector flourishing in the digital landscape, driven by people highly skilled as required by Industry 4.0.

All the strategies should result in surging sales performance that must benefit Filipino businesses and the country.

The critical message is Market Access, Digitalization, and Logistics Integration – MADALI.

• Market access: Expanding domestic or cross-border transactions.
• Digitalization vs. digitization – Covers the digitalization of government, people, and businesses.
• Logistics integration: Making the logistics and supply chain more efficient.