By RAFFY GUTIERREZ
When the President recently declared that internet access is “no longer a privilege but a necessity,” one would think that such a statement came from a leader standing on the cusp of a digital revolution. Unfortunately, the reality suggests otherwise. That kind of declaration would have been groundbreaking over a decade ago. Today, it sounds more like someone arriving at a party that’s almost over.
Internet access has long ceased being a luxury. For millions of Filipinos, it has already become a lifeline—for work, for education, for healthcare, and for small businesses. The rest of the world has moved forward with digitization not just as policy but as default practice. For a sitting President to only now recognize this as a priority is a red flag in itself. It reveals how out of touch our national leadership is with the pace of technological change.
Meanwhile, in a seemingly unrelated but equally troubling move, the Speaker of the House is pushing for a shift to a cash-based budgeting system. At a glance, this may sound like a modernization effort, but in the context of a country attempting to go digital, it’s actually a step backward. A digitally aligned budget system should focus on automation, transparency, and accountability—not just quicker cash disbursement.
A cash-based system may streamline some disbursement processes, but it does nothing to address the deeper problems in public finance: lack of real-time tracking, weak data integration, and limited citizen oversight. What the country needs is not just a change in accounting method but a full-scale embrace of digital tools—online dashboards, open procurement systems, and data-driven policy implementation.
Digital transformation isn’t about isolated infrastructure projects or tech soundbites. It’s about a coherent national strategy that ties together connectivity, education, governance, finance, and industry. So far, what we’re seeing are disconnected efforts that lack vision and continuity. Rolling out fiber networks without addressing internet affordability or literacy is not transformation—it’s window dressing.
The administration seems to be stuck in a mindset that equates digital governance with Facebook livestreams and high-profile launch events. But digitization requires long-term planning, continuity of programs, proper regulation, and deep institutional reforms. None of those are present in the current national conversation.
What’s more concerning is the absence of leadership in critical areas like artificial intelligence, data privacy, cybersecurity, and digital ID integration. These are fundamental issues in any modern digital economy. Other countries in the region have already launched comprehensive strategies in these areas. We, on the other hand, are still debating whether internet access is a right or a luxury.
Public statements may try to signal progress, but they do little to change realities on the ground. The infrastructure is inconsistent. Digital literacy remains low. Government services are still largely paper-based and require physical presence. The supposed push for a new digital Philippines has yet to leave the runway.
In parallel, our legislative direction is equally misaligned. The cash-based budget proposal assumes that faster fund utilization equals better governance. It does not. Without mechanisms for digital auditing, performance tracking, and data openness, we are simply spending faster, not smarter. Real accountability requires visibility—and digital systems, not cash registers, deliver that.
To be clear, the issue isn’t that the government is doing nothing. It’s what it is doing lacks ambition, urgency, and coherence. Piecemeal programs, disconnected policies, and reactionary rhetoric are not how countries lead in the digital age. They are how countries fall behind.
What the nation needs now is leadership that understands not just the importance of digital infrastructure, but the ecosystems and reforms required to make it work. This includes education reform, digital skills development, intelligent taxation, and a regulatory framework that empowers—not hinders—innovation.
To those in government who still think digitization is a buzzword or a post-pandemic afterthought, know this: you are not just behind the times—you are risking the country’s future competitiveness. The internet is not just a necessity. It is the nervous system of the modern world. And if the national leadership continues to treat it like an afterthought, we should not be surprised when we are left behind.
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Rafael “Raffy” Gutierrez is a veteran Technology Trainer with over 25 years of experience in networking, systems design, and diverse computer technologies. He is also a popular social media blogger well-known for his real-talk, no-holds-barred outlook on religion, politics, and philosophy.
