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Ilang roadmap pa ba ang kailangan bago tayo mag-execute? That's the question hanging over SONAI 2026, the country's second annual AI summit held last January 30. The message was clear and overdue: stop with the vision documents, start building actual solutions.

Here's what's different this time. The focus shifted completely from technology to people: workers facing displacement, small businesses trying to compete, communities waiting for better government services.

"When we talk about AI, we are ultimately talking about people," Rep. Brian Poe (FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list) emphasized. That's the mindset shift the Philippines desperately needs!

The reality check hit hard. "The Philippines has moved past the phase of AI pilots and position papers. What we need now is execution," said Rep. Javi Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District).

Translation? Sobrang dami nang frameworks at studies. Pero ano na yung actual results? The next two years will define whether the Philippines leads ASEAN in AI or gets left behind completely.

Two bills could change everything:

That second bill? Critical. As Poe put it: "AI adoption without worker transition is not progress—it's disruption." Think about it. The Philippines is the BPO capital of the world. Millions of jobs are on the line. Kung walang safety net, automation becomes a catastrophe rather than an upgrade.

Global investors are eyeing the Philippines as a serious AI destination, especially after recent international engagements in Davos. But here's the catch: investors don't bet on potential alone. They bet on countries with clear governance, strong institutions, and the political will to execute. Kaya yung pressure? It's real and immediate.

Poe called out the elephant in the room: "Technology does not fail in this country due to lack of ideas. It fails when responsibility is unclear and when policy lags behind industry." Ouch. How many times have we seen great Filipino innovations die because of bureaucratic red tape?

Benitez warned that this is a "narrow window." Countries moving decisively on AI governance now will shape the next decade. Others will follow rules written elsewhere. The Philippines has the talent and ideas, but execution is everything.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: these are good bills. The vision is sound. Pero AI doesn't wait for legislative calendars. Every week Congress delays, other countries are writing the rules, training their workers, and building the infrastructure. Every minute of inaction means we're not just standing still and actively falling behind.

Kaya Congress needs to move. Not next quarter, not after budget season. Now. And not just move. They need to move fast. The gap between vision and execution? That's measured in lost opportunities, displaced workers, and economic ground we'll never recover.

Read the stories here:

Philippine bishops just said what a lot of us are thinking pero hindi natin masabi nang maayos: AI is useful, but it can't replace totoong tao.

During the 131st CBCP Plenary Assembly last January 20, bishops attended a seminar on AI's role in Church ministry. The message from Edwin Lopez, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communications, was crystal clear: "Technology serves. Communion saves. God did not just send a message; he sent himself."

That's profound. God could've just dropped a rulebook from the sky. Instead, he became human. Naging tao. That's the standard bishops are holding AI against—and honestly, it's the right one.

Lopez pushed back hard: "Evangelization must always lead people to encounter, not automation." This matters beyond religion. Ilan ba sa atin ang nag-rely na sa chatbots for customer service, AI therapists, or automated responses? Mabilis, oo. Efficient, oo. But does it actually connect?

Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon framed AI as a "vast new mission territory" the Church must navigate responsibly. Digital tools can reach people faster and wider. Pero yung depth? Yung totoong pag-intindi? That still requires human presence.

Lopez closed with a statement that should make every AI enthusiast pause: "We do not need more technology. We need more humanity."

The bigger question: As the Philippines races to adopt AI across sectors, the bishops are asking what we should all be asking. Are we using AI to enhance human connection, or replace it? Because one leads to progress. The other just leads to loneliness wrapped in efficiency metrics.

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