President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday called for social protection and investing in digital literacy in communities during his address before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council.
Duterte said a national Social Protection Floor or SPF must be established, given that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the limitation of social protection programs in APEC communities.
“These gaps must be addressed to the SPF that guarantees a minimum set of social security benefits for all in accordance with the International Labor Organization standard,” he said.
Likewise, Duterte said APEC economies must strengthen cooperation in digital infrastructure development, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas.
“We must promote digital literacy to facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the digital economy [as] this will help increase the economic productivity of marginalized groups under the new normal,” he said.
“We must of course establish the necessary infrastructure and accessible, stable and affordable energy supply in remote communities,” he added.
Lastly, Duterte asked APEC’s help in facilitating the transition of developing economies to a low carbon economy in face of climate change.
“The Philippines reiterates its goal for a scaled-up, sustainable and predictable support from developed countries. This should be in the form of climate finance technology transfer and capacity building,” he said.
“We need these interventions to transition to climate smart development and adapt to and mitigate the worsening effects of climate change. We welcome ABAC’s support and cooperation in advancing these goals,” he added. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News
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