Grab Philippines and MOVE IT on Thursday formally inaugurated the Asenso Center in Marikina City—a nation-first milestone that reinforces Grab's partnership with the government in advancing digital inclusion and sustainable livelihoods for the Filipino gig economy.
The Asenso Center, which first broke ground in December 2024 with key partners from the transport ecosystem, serves as a livelihood hub dedicated to the onboarding, training, skills assessment, and upskilling of Grab driver-partners and MOVE IT rider-partners.
The one-hectare facility is designed to elevate and professionalize the onboarding of platform workers and entrepreneurs, accelerate AI-enabled earning opportunities for Filipinos, and streamline access to social protection programs via guided enrollment with SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, complemented by micro-insurance and welfare protection from Chubb and AXA.
“Grab is one of the Philippines’ most mature platform-work ecosystems, and that gives us a precise, ground-level understanding of what Filipino platform workers and micro-entrepreneurs truly need to thrive. The Asenso Center turns that insight into action. It opens dignified, digitally powered livelihoods, equips our partners with practical AI co-pilots, and helps families convert opportunity into income at scale," said Grab Philippines Country Managing Director Ronald Roda.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda underscored the crucial role of the gig economy in uplifting the lives of Filipinos, describing Grab and MOVE IT partners as the “frontline of the digital economy.”
“In every trip you take, there’s a child who gets to eat, tuition that gets paid, and medical bills that are settled—that’s the future. This is what real change looks like—you are the frontline of the digital economy,” Aguda said.
Aguda emphasized the critical role of public-private partnerships in achieving the agency’s goal of creating millions of digital livelihoods in the Philippines.
The Asenso Center is poised to support Grab’s commitment to generating 500,000 livelihood opportunities for the Philippine government. The leading superapp said it has already delivered new livelihoods equivalent to 73 percent of its five-year target, putting the company on track to exceed its goal ahead of schedule. Merchant participation is also rising, with the number of Community Merchants up 30 percent year on year as more local entrepreneurs formalize online.
The Center embeds AI enablement into the growth pathways of partners, offering mobile-first tools like Merchant AI Assistant and AI Driver Companion, and pairing these with merchant and driver training to ensure that they can leverage these tools responsibly and safely.
Merchants can use a mobile-first “Merchant AI Assistant,” which is an AI co-pilot that aids in day-to-day tasks such as setting up seasonal promotions, automating menu set-ups, producing ready-to-post marketing content, and surfacing demand insights for inventory and staffing. Drivers, on the other hand, access an in-app “AI Driver Companion” for real-time route optimization and demand hotspot guidance—reducing idle time and lifting overall earnings.
Among those leveraging the Merchant AI Assistant is Marvin Catimbang, Chief Operating Officer of Coffee Blanc and a GrabFood 5-Star Eats Merchant-Partner.
“The Merchant AI Assistant is an incredible day-to-day help for us, especially in tasks previously done manually, such as generating descriptions for our menu items or updating our store hours. It’s a handy partner for MSMEs like us. The AI assistant has also been very helpful in analyzing consumer insights, which is critical to the growth of our business," Catimbang said.
“Used responsibly, AI becomes a force multiplier — an exponent on every hour of work online. Our goal is to make enterprise-grade tools accessible on a smartphone, raise standards of safety and service, and broaden the preparedness and participation of our partners in the rising AI economy," Roda added.
Grab said platform productivity is also calibrated, so active partners working at least eight hours a day can hit family-sustaining income levels. Many surpass that benchmark based on active hours, time of day, service type, and demand patterns.
MOVE IT rider-partner and community leader Nica “Khang” Brieta shared how her earnings as a moto-taxi rider have enabled her to fund her education and that of her sister.
“Dahil po sa kita ko sa MOVE IT, napag-aral ko po ang aking sarili pati ang aking kapatid. Nasisiguro ko rin na natutustusan ko ang medikal na pangangailangan ng aking anak, na napakahalaga para sa akin bilang isang solo parent. Sa MOVE IT, empowered kaming mga kababaihan na makipagsabayan sa kalsada para kumita nang patas para sa aming mga pamilya.”
For her part, Marikina City Mayor Marjorie Ann "Maan" Teodoro thanked Grab Philippines and MOVE IT for choosing their city to be part of this milestone.
"This center represents more than just a facility, it represents opportunity. Digital jobs are now one of the strongest stimulants of economic growth, giving people new ways to earn, learn, and connect. They allow our workers and entrepreneurs to be part of a growing digital economy that values both skill and innovation," Teodoro said in her speech.
Teodoro also said that Marikina has a lot of small and medium enterprises—businesses that started from home or a small stall which now rely on digital platforms to increase profit and reach a wider market.
"That’s why we have made sure that our micro enterprises remain tax-free here in Marikina to help them grow, reinvest, and sustain local jobs," she said.
"At ngayon, patuloy tayong nakikipag-usap sa mga platform partners tulad ng Grab, para makita kung paano pa natin mapapalawak ang mga oportunidad to connect our local entrepreneurs and workers to a wider market," the mayor added.