worldbank.org (31.03.2022) The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fundamental role digital ecosystems can play in helping a country to rapidly deliver services and relief to its people, such as healthcare education, and social assistance. Countries that already had in place the “stack” of digital IDs, digital payments, and data sharing platforms, were better prepared to respond to the pandemic and to maintain continuity of services by shifting to online channels.    The Philippines provides a great example of a government addressing digital ecosystem gaps – strengthening the foundational ID, digital data governance, and digital payments systems.  One of the few countries without a foundational ID system beyond its civil registry, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) started rolling out the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) in 2019.   Learning from the challenges of social assistance delivery without a foundational ID during the COVID-19 response, PSA recognized digital SP delivery as a priority area and is now working with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to use PhilSys for the digital transformation of the country’s major social assistance programs.