Under the theme “People, Policy and Progress: Advancing Workforce Excellence in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” government leaders, private sector executives and development partners agreed on one point above all: the future of work will not be decided by technology alone, but by how well institutions invest in people.
“The future of work demands collaboration across sectors,” said Albert Perez, ECCP treasurer and Human Capital Committee co-chairman, in his opening remarks. “It requires [the] government creating an enabling policy environment, educational institutions preparing learners for emerging industries, businesses investing in continuous learning and international partners sharing global best practices and innovative solutions.”
Tesda also highlighted its P641 million allocation to support 35,000 learners in AI and data skills training, as well as around 90,000 enrollments in AI-related online courses as of July 2026.
Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Association of the Philippines Executive Director Sherwin Pelayo said 95 percent of Philippine organizations are already using AI, but only 12 percent are building homegrown AI capability. The real gap is not AI adoption but readiness.
The National AI Upskilling Roadmap, he added, is how the country moves from being an AI user to an AI builder.
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