The shift to virtual rooms is the culmination of the past week’s efforts to prevent COVID-19 from entering establishments and spreading to local communities during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Embracing the advantages of technology, the Department of Trade and Industry – Philippine Accreditation Bureau grabbed the opportunity of the free online seminar entitled “Post Pandemic: Digitalizing the BCP for Manufacturers” conducted on April 03, 2020, 10:00am Philippine time and sponsored by Thames International Business School in partnership with Accelebator Singapore, Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) Malaysia and Beyond4Tech Malaysia.
The free webinar was designed for Business Leaders in the Philippines who are managing their businesses in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic with the focus on the Business Continuity Plan for Manufacturers. It is also a part of Thames International Business School’s contribution to share information and best practices about the economy and society to its ASEAN neighbors.
DTI Undersecretary of Competitiveness and Innovation Group, Dr. Rafaelita M. Aldaba shared in her welcome remarks that the Philippines is seen as an economic star and has grown for the last 8 years. She emphasized that the Philippines is not new to crisis and people would resort to imagination and innovation knowing that Filipinos are by nature resilient, flexible and resourceful.
Mr. Muhammed Ali bin Mydin, CEO of Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) Malaysia was the resource speaker during the one-hour webinar conducted using the online application “Zoom”. The topics included key lessons learned from the past crises and current pandemic, Industry 4.0 – what has happened and what will happen next and business continuity for manufacturing. Mr. Mydin gave a quick introduction about PSDC and the organization’s core business areas which are training, academy, services and consultancy. He also discussed that the National Security Council, the highest authority during pandemic crisis such as COVID-19, is composed of different Ministries to decide and design what essential services should operate. The final part of his presentation included the COVID-19 stimulus package which aims to pump in money into the local economy and to encourage spending to increase liquidity in the market. He also mentioned that the focus of stimulus package is to increase efficiency and productivity and look into investment as local solutions for local problems.
Mr. Joel Santos, President of Thames International Business School facilitated the question and answer session. Mr. Mydin answered questions pertaining to government initiatives that will result in a seamless flow in transporting goods and finding raw materials and supplies for medical PPE’s. Some of the questions pertaining to DTI were answered by Usec. Aldaba and she stressed the importance of manufacturing and the need of standards. The importance of standards in the testing of the medical PPE’s is very crucial and that manufacturers should take into account the technical requirements in producing this product.
On March 26, 2020, Thames International and Accelebator Singapore also presented a Webinar providing an Overview of Lessons Learned from the Business and Government Sectors in Response to Previous Pandemics in Singapore and China. A free webinar will be conducted again on April 6, 2020 in relation to Singapore’s experience on supply chain management.
Release Date: 08 April 2020