Shift away from manual processes
In the foreseeable future, the Philippines undergoes a significant shift away from manual processes, propelled by the tide of digitalization aimed at enhancing efficiency and convenience.
Entertainment consumption evolves as Filipinos transition from traditional cable services to streaming platforms, offering a broader array of content tailored to individual preferences.
In healthcare, the cumbersome paper-based documentation system gives way to electronic records, prescriptions, and consent forms, streamlining administrative tasks through standardized templates.
The most notable manifestation of digitalization emerges in the transition towards a cashless society. While cash remains an accepted form of payment, cashless alternatives become ubiquitous, offering greater accessibility and efficiency. Major international mobile payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay, alongside local e-wallets, leverage QR technology to facilitate seamless transactions.
In this landscape, digital payments seamlessly integrate into daily life, reshaping consumer habits and fostering a more streamlined economy, while cash continues to serve as a backup method for transactions.
Selected Quotes
Yeah, finance. Here, I'm a bit optimistic about [the future], because right now we're moving faster with finance. We're seeing more people get [banked]; we're seeing a rise in digital transactions. I'm not saying that by 2040, we're gonna be completely cashless, but I feel like we'll [already] be on par with those other countries abroad that have a cashless economy as their norm. [For instance:]...if you go to a restaurant, it's more often than not that they have cashless options...because right now, there's still a lot of places I go to that don't have GCash, or they don't have card terminals, stuff like that. So I see that happening, it's feasible.
[Health and wellness would be]...pretty much the same...[we would] probably [have] better systems in hospitals...but that's like a [current] thing that could happen.
And I think...there are many like opportunities for technology and AI to play a part [in our future healthcare]...I'm optimistic about it.
...[C]ash will still exist, but then there will still be more options now to make it cashless, since it'll be much easier [to be cashless]. So everything will be cashless, but using cash still won't go away. I think I would even argue that cash is also like some form of technology, in the sense that it is still a tool for us to barter with people...We don't have to think about: "What is the value of this and that?", because we already have a system [in place]...So in terms of finance...cash will still be accepted, but...majority of Filipinos would have access to cashless options, and it would be the norm...[we already] have Apple Pay here, we also have Google Pay here...for urban centers, and then for the rest, it depends on whatever is the popular local e-wallet at the time....[T]here will also be a rise in e-wallets...[like] Apple Pay, GPay...or maybe may PPay? I don't know. Maybe we might get a local...[e-wallet]... I mean, we already have local e-wallets. So that's the GCash [and] Maya. But I don't know, maybe there might be this one platform that will integrate [everything]. [Wait], QR PH is already a thing, right? So QR PH exists now. Possibly, that [(QR technology)] would be the norm in...realistically 2040, because it's already being done right now, it is...having a learning curve, but maybe it would be a more efficient system in the future.
...[T]here will be much more health centers, and they'll [all] be digitalized. So it would be automatic in the sense that, if a new health center was built, there is already a template they can use: Okay, this is what they can do, it's set up already, they should already have available resources...[and] tools for them. So I [do] think that's still possible for the Philippines in 2040. But...of course, it's gonna be a matter of managing the resources.
