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| (Image Source: Manila Standard/Grab Philippines) |
Grab Philippines and MOVE IT, in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), officially opened the Asenso Center in Marikina City, marking the first livelihood hub of its kind within Grab’s Southeast Asia network. Designed to enhance and professionalize the onboarding process for platform workers and entrepreneurs, the one-hectare facility aims to accelerate AI-enabled earning opportunities for Filipinos and streamline access to social protection programs.
Partners can receive guided enrollment with SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, supplemented by micro-insurance and welfare protection from Chubb and AXA. “Grab is one of the Philippines’ most mature platform-work ecosystems, and that gives us a precise, ground-level understanding of what Filipino platform workers and micro-entrepreneurs truly need to thrive. The Asenso Center turns that insight into action. It opens dignified, digitally powered livelihoods, equips our partners with practical AI co-pilots, and helps families convert opportunity into income at scale,” said Grab Philippines Country Managing Director Ronald Roda. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda emphasized the role of digital enablement in the agency’s goal of creating 8 million digital livelihoods. He highlighted that every journey made by platform workers contributes to their families’ well-being, covering meals, tuition, and medical bills, signifying true change and a “New Philippines” where digital services are prevalent.
Professionalized, AI-Enabled Livelihoods
The Asenso Center is set to support Grab’s commitment to generating 500,000 livelihood opportunities for the Philippine government. The leading superapp has already achieved 73% of its five-year target, on track to exceed its goal ahead of schedule. Merchant participation has also grown, with Community Merchants increasing by 30% year-on-year as more local entrepreneurs formalize their online presence. The center integrates AI enablement into partner growth, offering mobile-first tools like Merchant AI Assistant and AI Driver Companion. These are paired with training to ensure responsible and safe usage. Merchants can utilize the Merchant AI Assistant for daily tasks such as setting up promotions, automating menu setups, generating marketing content, and gaining demand insights. Drivers benefit from the in-app AI Driver Companion for real-time route optimization and demand hotspot guidance, reducing idle time and increasing earnings. Coffee Blanc Chief Operating Officer (COO) Marvin Catimbang, a GrabFood 5-Star Eats Merchant-Partner, praised the Merchant AI Assistant for its help with tasks like generating menu descriptions and updating store hours, calling it a “handy partner for MSMEs”. Roda added, “Used responsibly, AI becomes a force multiplier — an exponent on every hour of work online. Our goal is to make enterprise-grade tools accessible on a smartphone, raise standards of safety and service, and broaden the preparedness and participation of our partners in the rising AI economy.”
Viable Earnings, Accessible Social Protection
Grab ensures platform productivity is calibrated so active partners working at least eight hours a day can achieve family-sustaining income levels, with many surpassing this benchmark depending on active hours, time of day, service type, and demand patterns. Nica “Khang” Brieta, a MOVE IT rider-partner and community leader, shared how her earnings as a moto-taxi rider have enabled her to fund her and her sister’s education and cover her child’s medical needs as a solo parent. She emphasized that MOVE IT empowers women to earn fairly for their families. To align earnings with social protection flexibility, partners can choose their contribution programs and schedules. The Asenso Center provides enrollment counters for SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth alongside onboarding and skills assessments. Private coverage is available on an opt-in basis, allowing workers to customize their benefits. Top performers receive subsidized Pag-IBIG contributions and free life-insurance coverage from Grab and MOVE IT in addition to standard on-trip insurance. MOVE IT General Manager Wayne Jacinto stated, “Professionalization and protection go hand-in-hand. From safety training and service standards to modular benefits and on-trip coverage, the Asenso Center helps driver-partners build sustainable, future-proof livelihoods.”
Grab’s AI operates under four principles: improving safety, protecting privacy, maintaining user control, and ensuring ease of learning. This includes features that promote safer behavior and fair reviews, data minimization with in-app controls, human override for all AI suggestions, and bite-sized tutorials for confident AI usage to boost earnings and service quality. Roda concluded, “AI should reward effort, and not replace it. Our responsibility is to lower the barrier to entry for the AI economy, protect user trust, and ensure Filipino workers and MSMEs capture the upside.”
