Let me greet our Ambassador from Japan Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa; Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) Chairman Alfred Ty; the other officers in Toyota Motor Philippines; my fellow workers in government; guests—a pleasant morning to you all.
Congratulations to the leaders and teams of Toyota on launching Toyota Mobility Solutions Philippines. We at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) welcome the establishment of this innovative manufacturing facility in the country.
Economic and social progress requires mobility. People can use it to access goods, services, information, employment, information, markets, as well as getting in touch with family and friends. Mobility indeed can improve the quality of life.
As cities become “smarter,” new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, and intelligent systems could be used to build solutions that make mobility more efficient and effective. This is especially true as the mobility ecosystem becomes more digitally connected and shared.
Therefore, Toyota’s efforts to provide internet-based solutions that address transportation needs are valuable. Its experience in the Philippines and its quality culture are strengths Toyota can leverage toward responsive mobility solutions.
DTI applauds Toyota’s efforts to offer a wide range of mobility-related products and services to consumers as well as industrial, commercial, and agricultural enterprises.
This includes everything from renting out cars to running shuttles for business. It will not only create hundreds of jobs but also lower the costs of doing business and help the economy grow even more.
As with any other effort toward sustainability, better mobility for all succeeds through collaboration. An area for possible collaboration is promoting Toyota’s mobility solutions and digital platforms to our country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs. Among DTI’s foremost priorities is the upgrading, upskilling, and upsizing of MSMEs in an increasingly digital world.
Specifically, mobility solutions can help us improve MSMEs’ access to efficient logistics that suit the needs and financial capabilities of the enterprises. Financing solutions can unburden MSMEs of the huge upfront costs of acquiring vehicles to support their operations.
DTI and Toyota can further collaborate in preparing MSMEs through training programs so that MSMEs can maximize the use of their vehicles for their business.
Another area for collaboration is through the DTI’s upcoming Center for Artificial Intelligence Research. DTI is working to make this facility a Center of Excellence in AI R&D application in the country, which will cover both small businesses and large businesses.
Toyota can participate as a technology partner of this Center of AI Research that will support a specialized center laboratory and joint R&D that will focus on AI innovations for mobility. AI technologies can create a massive impact through solutions—from intelligent sensors and vehicle-to-vehicle communication to smart city planning. The DTI Center for AI Research will gather researchers and industry players to pursue AI innovations that will push the mobility frontier, among others.
A third area for collaboration is spurring innovation among the youth. DTI and Toyota, together with the country’s higher education institutions, can launch competitions that will prompt innovative transport and mobility solutions. These ideas may be incubated and enrolled in an acceleration program to transform them into viable enterprises, products, and services.
As Toyota Mobility Solutions and similar providers embark on their journey, DTI will enhance support for the industry. We in government, particularly DTI, and our industry partners must work together for transport and mobility solutions. That work should be inspired and guided by the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people and enterprises. It is for them, after all, that we want to make mobility solutions happen in the Philippines.
Thank you. Mabuhay!
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Date of Release: 12 August 2022