The missing ingredient in DTI's innovation push

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual recently unveiled an ambitious plan to boost innovation in the Philippines. It has long been our position that a greater focus on creating an environment for innovation is a necessity for economic growth, particularly among the nation's micro, small and medium enterprises that make up the largest part of the economy, thus we are fully supportive of the ideas and intentions laid out by Secretary Pascual.

What causes concern, however, is that while the ambitions of the DTI are certainly forward-looking, the one piece of infrastructure that is needed most to be able to put them into practice is still not up to the task. Without a robust digital infrastructure, much of the DTI's vision will remain unrealized.