Grab, MOVE IT, DICT launch first Asenso Center to scale an AI-enabled gig economy in the Philippines

Grab Philippines and MOVE IT, in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), officially inaugurated the Asenso Center in Marikina City — the first livelihood hub of its kind in Grab’s Southeast Asia network.

The one-hectare facility is designed to elevate and professionalize the onboarding of platform workers and entrepreneurs, accelerate AI-enabled earning opportunities for Filipinos, and streamline access to social protection programs via guided enrollment with SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, complemented by micro-insurance and welfare protection from Chubb and AXA.

Grab Philippines Country Managing Director Ronald Roda shares, “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.”

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda underscored the importance of digital enablement in the agency’s bid to create 8 million digital livelihoods. “Sa bawat byahe nyo, may anak na kakain, may tuition na babayaran, may medical bills na maso-solve at yan po ang kinabukasan. Ito po yung tunay na pagbabago — yung mga frontline for the digital economy. Ito na po ang Bagong Pilipinas. Karamihan ng mga serbisyo digital na. Ang kailangan na lang natin ay I-spread ito.”

A flagship for professionalized, AI-enabled livelihoods

The Asenso Center is poised to support Grab’s commitment to generating 500,000 livelihood opportunities for the Philippine government. The leading superapp said it has already delivered new livelihoods equivalent to 73% of its five-year target, putting the company on track to exceed its goal ahead of schedule. Merchant participation is also rising, with the number of Community Merchants up 30% year on year as more local entrepreneurs formalize online.

Furthermore, the Asenso Center embeds AI enablement into the growth pathways of partners, offering mobile-first tools like Merchant AI Assistant and AI Driver Companion, and pairing these with merchant and driver training to ensure that they can leverage these tools responsibly and safely.

Merchants can use a mobile-first “Merchant AI Assistant,” which is an AI co-pilot that aids in day-to-day tasks such as setting up seasonal promotions, automating menu set-ups, producing ready-to-post marketing content, and surfacing demand insights for inventory and staffing. Drivers, on the other hand, access an in-app “AI Driver Companion” for real-time route optimization and demand hotspot guidance — reducing idle time and lifting overall earnings. Among those leveraging the Merchant AI Assistant is Marvin Catimbang, chief operating officer of Coffee Blanc, and a GrabFood 5-Star Eats Merchant-Partner. “The Merchant AI Assistant is an incredible day-to-day help for us, especially in tasks previously done manually, such as generating descriptions for our menu items or updating our store hours. It’s a handy partner for MSMEs like us. The AI assistant has also been very helpful in analyzing consumer insights, which is critical to the growth of our business.”

“Used responsibly, AI becomes a force multiplier — an exponent on every hour of work online,” Mr. Roda added. “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 and Accessible Social Protection

Grab said platform productivity is also calibrated, so active partners at least eight hours a day can hit family-sustaining income levels. Many surpass that benchmark based on active hours, time of day, service type, and demand patterns.

MOVE IT rider-partner and community leader Nica “Khang” Brieta shared how her earnings as a moto-taxi rider has emnabled her to fund her education and that of her sister. “Dahil po sa kita ko sa MOVE IT, napag-aral ko po ang aking sarili pati ang aking kapatid. Nasisiguro ko rin na natutustusan ko ang medikal na pangangailangan ng aking anak, na napakahalaga para sa akin bilang isang solo parent. Sa MOVE IT, empowered kaming mga kababaihan na makipagsabayan sa kalsada para kumita nang patas para sa aming mga pamilya.”

To align earnings with flexibility in social protection, partners can choose which programs to contribute to and when. At the Asenso Center, enrollment counters for SSS, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth sit alongside onboarding and skills assessments, and private coverage is available on an opt-in basis, allowing workers to tailor benefits to their needs. For top performers, Grab and MOVE IT subsidize Pag-IBIG contributions and provide free life-insurance coverage in addition to the standard on-trip insurance.

MOVE IT General Manager Wayne Jacinto said: “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 follows four simple rules: it must improve safety, protect privacy, keep people in control, and be easy to learn. That means tested features that encourage safer behavior and fair reviews, data minimization with in-app controls, human override on all AI-suggestions, and bite-sized tutorials so drivers and merchants can use AI confidently to lift earnings and service quality.

“AI should reward effort, and not replace it,” Mr. Roda said. “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.”