As the nation takes a crucial turn toward the new normal after a rude two-year interruption courtesy of the pandemic, the Philippines is getting back to a path of growth, wiser, as many will say, with the full use of digital technology.

The next pages of this issue of HotSpot are devoted to instances of resilience among local business institutions that enabled them to weather the challenges of the pandemic and overcoming hurdles that tested their commitment to putting public welfare above the profit motive.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos leveraged on the country's capability to embrace digital know-how in courting American companies during his recent official visit to the United States.
Digital transformation will encourage economic activities, Marcos assessed.

In a statement during the digital ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the UnionBank Innovation Campus in the City of San Pedro, Laguna, Marcos referred to the Aboitiz Group's UnionBank as a model for the kind of innovations, forward-thinking operations, and actions needed, "not only in the private sector but also in the public sector."

Marcos emphasized the government, as a participant in the "new digital world," would seek collaboration with the private sector to make public transactions easier and more convenient.

"We would be bereft, we would be neglectful of our duties, if we do not recognize the trend that is happening around the world," the President shared.