ALBAY 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda expressed his full support for the appointment of Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda as the new head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), lauding his background in financial technology and economics.
In a statement on Thursday, Salceda praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s selection of Aguda, emphasizing the importance of his fintech expertise. “Secretary Aguda comes from the financial technology sector, an area of our economic life that I have championed as the legislator with the greatest number of fintech-related bills and laws. He is very qualified, and my hopes for him and the DICT are up,” Salceda said.
Salceda also outlined key priorities he hopes to work on with the newly appointed DICT chief, focusing on digital infrastructure and technological innovation.
Topping Salceda’s list is the nationwide expansion of 5G coverage. He called for a more aggressive push in expanding common-use telecommunications towers, especially in major regional cities, describing it as “the lowest hanging fruit” for improving digital infrastructure.
Salceda also urged the DICT to collaborate with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and national security agencies to develop a strategic plan addressing the growing mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. “This is not to promote cryptocurrencies, but to make sure we do not get left behind if the world moves towards them,” he explained.
The congressman further recommended the establishment of national artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning institutes in major state universities, offering Bicol University as a potential host for such an initiative.
In the financial sector, Salceda emphasized the need to enhance the technology and cybersecurity infrastructure supporting the country’s capital markets. He called on the DICT to partner with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), and private financial institutions to create a comprehensive roadmap to upgrade these systems.
Finally, Salceda urged the DICT to spearhead efforts to digitalize government transactions, particularly payments to agencies like the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Development Bank of the Philippines. He cited frequent issues with the current manual verification process and proposed blockchain technology as a potential solution for more secure and transparent records.
“I congratulate Secretary Aguda, and I will advocate for his speedy confirmation,” Salceda concluded.
Secretary Aguda, a seasoned executive in the fintech sector, was appointed by President Marcos to lead the DICT as part of the administration’s efforts to modernize the country’s digital landscape.
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