Angkas founder and CEO George Royeca on Thursday urged entrepreneurs to use technology in their daily lives during the 6th DAILY TRIBUNE Asian Innovation Forum held at Bayanan Baywalk in Muntinlupa City.

Royeca highlighted the power of technology and how it could uplift their lives.

“This is the power of technology, this is the power you have now. You have the right to demand from the government because you are a taxpayer,” he said.

“You know that and, secondly, you have the power to improve your life — today, not tomorrow,” Royeca added, addressing the aspiring micro-entrepreneurs seeking training and financing.

Royeca recalled that in the early days of Angkas, a ride-hailing app-based company, riders were considered informal earners. But presently, Angkas riders can earn from P20,000 to P30,000 per month and call themselves self-employed, he noted.

He pointed out that opportunities for Angkas riders outside the platform had opened up. He urged them to use the internet to search for products they could resell and to look for other platforms that could help them in their business.

Royeca told the AIF participants not be ashamed of belonging to the “informal” sector of the economy because they are the country’s biggest taxpayers.

“Don’t be ashamed to be called informal because you are the biggest taxpayers in town and you should also be the one with the biggest benefits,” he said.

Royeca reiterated his advocacy of championing “informal” earners and for them to receive the benefits they deserve.

Aside from Angkas, the 6th AIF also featured resource speakers from SB Corporation, Cebu CFI Cooperative, and Maya, companies that provide financing to medium, small and micro enterprises, which account for 99.2 percent of all companies in the Philippines.