The top official of the country’s market leader in local ICT (information communication technology) distribution, VST-ECS president and CEO Jimmy Go, is asking lawmakers to formulate a bill that would establish data sovereignty — a measure long initiated by Philippine ASEAN neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam.

During the VST-ECS CXO Summit 2025 at the Shangri-La Boracay on Boracay Island, Aklan, Go admitted that the Philippines lags behind its counterparts because it lacks the said measure.

“I think we are going there, but we are a bit behind other countries because we don’t have a Data Sovereignty Law. And I hope that the Philippines will at least craft that law to attract more hyperscalers and data center players here in the country,” Go said in an exclusive interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE.

Data sovereignty refers to the concept that data is subject to the laws and regulations of the geographical location where its owners are located. In general, data sovereignty rules put the responsibility of managing and protecting user data on the organization that collects and processes it.

User privacy, security issues must be addressed

User privacy and security issues must be addressed by the organization, and it must comply with the regulations of the user’s country or state of residency. 

A Data Privacy Act (Republic Act 10173), protecting individual personal information in information and communications systems in the government and the private sector, exists in the Philippines.

Many of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s 10 members have either passed or discussed policies that aim to increase digital sovereignty, often citing national security as a top priority.

Data from PS-Engage, authored by Mackenzie Gunther, points out that in 2019, the Indonesian government passed regulation called the Implementation of Electronic Systems and Transactions, also known as Law No. 71 of 2019, which states that data localization requirements, electronic systems governance requirements, and monitoring permissions belong to the Minister of Communication and Informatics.

On the right track

Meanwhile, Go said the Philippines is on the right track when it comes to embracing digitization, especially when it comes to social media utilization.“It is just a matter of time (for us to fully embrace digitization) because we don’t have the budget, as we don’t have a Data Sovereignty Law, but we are going there. It is very important in everybody’s business to have a competitive advantage, or else you will be left behind,” Go stressed.

He said a lot of government transactions are now being done electronically; however, he stressed that digital transformation is just a first step.

“AI helps us in digital transformation, reduces our costs, improves our efficiency, and builds our business solutions and internal applications, which is the most important thing,” he stated.

PSA data on digital autonomy

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the digital economy of the Philippines reached P2.25 trillion at current prices in 2024, accounting for 8.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, and representing a 7.6 percent increase from the P2.09 trillion Gross Value Added recorded in 2023. 

In his speech during the CXO Summit 2025, themed “Navigating the Next Frontier of Digital Transformation,” graced by the IT industry’s biggest brands, namely Huawei, Cisco, Meraki, Fortinet, HPE Aruba, Lenovo, Rubrik, Stellar Cyber, and VMWare, the VST-ECS head said the future has arrived, and it is moving faster than anyone anticipated.

“With the accelerating pace of technology, digital transformation is unfolding in ways we’ve never seen before. What once took years now happens in months — or even weeks. The velocity of change is staggering. This brings us to a critical inflection point. The frontier has shifted in unprecedented ways. The map we once relied on is being redrawn by one powerful, undeniable force: Artificial Intelligence,” he said.

Era of Agentic AI

Go said businesses are not just embracing any AI, but entering the era of Agentic AI — autonomous systems capable of making decisions, executing strategies, and collaborating like digital teammates.

“This is the dawn of the Augmented Enterprise: a strategic integration of technology designed to amplify human capabilities. What was once theoretical is now gaining traction across industries. Yet for all its promise, AI is only as powerful as the data it consumes. It is driven by one relentless force: AI’s insatiable appetite for data,” he stressed.