FinTech Alliance PH endorsed the appointment of former Social Security System chief Robert Joseph de Claro as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology on Tuesday.
The industry association, whose member institutions handle over 95% of the country’s retail digital transaction volume, said de Claro’s record of automating state pension operations provides a practical foundation for advancing national digital policy.
De Claro previously served as president and chief executive officer of the state-run pension fund, where he oversaw digital workflow overhauls and electronic service delivery for millions of private-sector workers and pensioners.
“His experience in transforming SSS services through digitalization provides a strong foundation for driving the country’s broader digital agenda,” said Lito Villanueva, founding chairman of FinTech Alliance PH and executive vice president at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.
Villanueva said executing the state’s digital transformation requires joint coordination across government agencies, commercial lenders, telecommunications firms and technology providers. He highlighted several immediate industry priorities, including expanding affordable internet connectivity, hardening anti-fraud defenses and establishing shared infrastructure accessible to micro, small and medium enterprises.
FinTech Alliance PH comprises more than 170 corporate members, including mobile payment platforms GCash and Maya, digital lenders such as GoTyme Bank and MariBank, commercial banks, and international card networks Visa and Mastercard. (Read More: Turns Out Filipinos Will Use Digital Banking Much More If You Stop Charging Them ₱15 Per Transfer)
De Claro succeeds former DICT Secretary Henry Aguda. The agency is tasked with executing the national broadband program, centralizing e-government services and directing state cybersecurity enforcement. (Read More: Who Will Lead the DICT Next? Three Contenders, Three Vastly Different Futures for Pinoy Cyberspace)
Disclosure: AI is used to assist in developing this article.
This article is published on BitPinas: FinTech Alliance PH Welcomes Appointment of Robert Joseph de Claro as DICT Secretary
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