German tech giant supports Philippine digital transformation push

MANILA – The national government’s efforts toward digital transformation received a significant boost with the backing of Siemens AG, a German multinational technology conglomerate.

During a meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, Siemens AG President and CEO Dr. Roland Busch expressed the tech giant’s willingness to offer training for Filipino workers and businesses transitioning to modern technologies. He highlighted the Philippines’ well-suited young workforce for such a program.

“Actually, there are a couple of things coming together. It’s like a lot of stars are aligned: 110 million people—young people— and most of them are English-speaking. And secondly, I know that you’re also building data centers in your country, laying the foundation for cloud and cloud applications because we need that,” Busch was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office.

“We are more than happy to do more in terms of training the small and medium-sized enterprises to see where they can go,” he added.

While currently in Berlin for a three-day working visit, Marcos voiced his confidence in the capabilities of the Filipino workforce to excel and remain competitive in adapting to various technologies.

“We are blessed with a good workforce, a young workforce that is very well-trained, and has very good experience with working in foreign entities, countries, corporations,” the President said.

“And I think the need right now is for the upskilling to the new technologies that we are talking about. That I think is going to be key,” he added.

The Chief Executive remarked that the Philippines is forward-thinking and taking steps to future-proof its workforce amidst the ongoing evolution of technology.

Marcos has designated digital transformation as a key priority of his administration.

During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year, the President underscored the government’s dedication to harnessing technology to improve public services, streamline governance processes, and stimulate economic development.

Siemens has maintained a presence in the country for over 125 years.

Since 1894, the company has made significant technological contributions in various sectors, including telecommunications, energy, factory automation, mobility, and smart building technologies.