foodpanda backs gov’t calls to nurture PH e-commerce industry

As e-commerce emerges as a vital tool in the country’s economic development, developing this sector becomes a key government priority. And to achieve this, close cooperation between all stakeholders is a must.

This is according to quick-commerce (Q-commerce) digital platform foodpanda, which joined fellow industry leaders and government partners at the country’s first-ever e-Commerce congress.

“We need a strong support and collaboration from key players like us to build an inclusive and sustainable e-commerce ecosystem in the country,” foodpanda Philippines Managing Director Daniel Marogy said during his panelist speech.

The event, spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in partnership with the Philippine Bar Association, aimed to pave the way for productive dialogues among stakeholders to help enable the PH e-Commerce industry to flourish.

Q-commerce platforms are just one of the many online retail businesses that have emerged and increased in number as the country’s internet economy grew by 93%—the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia.

With the continuous expansion of e-commerce’s reach in the country, DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual emphasized that this is the right time to come up with policies and regulations related to the industry.

Among the new laws and regulations currently being drafted to address this is the Internet Transactions Act (ITA), which seeks to build trust between online merchants and consumers through secure and reliable e-commerce platforms.

Marogy also mentioned the need to provide a fair playing field in the sector so that small players like micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can have access to digital platform services. He shared that the company is committed to actively supporting MSMEs through digitalization, as they believe that it is key in the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery and growth of the digital economy.

According to him, this vision is much more feasible through collaboration among all those comprising the e-Commerce ecosystem—from digital platforms, partner merchants, delivery service providers, to consumers.

“By working together with the government, we can create an enabling environment for the continued growth of the e-commerce industry and stability of the Philippine economy,” he said.