Filipinos can now have documents notarized electronically anywhere in the country. The Supreme Court rolled out the service, giving commissioned electronic notaries public the ability to notarize qualified digital documents through accredited platforms. The Supreme Court’s e-notarization puts into practice the Rules on Electronic Notarization under A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC. The Supreme Court En Banc gave its approval to these rules on February 4, 2025. Two modes of electronic notarization are allowed under the rules. One is In-Person Electronic Notarization (IEN), where the signer must appear in person before the electronic notary. The other is Remote Electronic Notarization (REN), which takes place over videoconferencing. Notaries may also use a mix of both. Electronic notaries public with a commission can perform electronic notarial acts outside the territorial boundaries that limit traditional notaries, as long as they comply with the rules. Documents must be s...
More Philippine companies are turning to artificial intelligence, with adoption climbing 52% over the last year. A study commissioned by Amazon Web Services reported that 32% of local businesses now use AI. That is up from 21% in 2025 and translates to over 396,000 firms. Technology companies topped the list at 49%, followed by financial services at 45% and professional services at 40%. Results showed gains for those who took the plunge. Productivity improved for 74% of adopters, higher than the 70% recorded a year ago. Revenue grew for 68%, compared with 64%. On average, adopters saw revenue rise 20%, surpassing the earlier forecast of 15%. Use, however, stays largely simple. Public chatbots, productivity tools, and off-the-shelf solutions remain the main applications for 70% of adopters. Eighteen percent have spread AI across several functions, while 12% employ advanced setups like custom systems and agentic AI. A formal plan for wider AI use exists in only 1...