President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has urged all public servants across the Philippines to embrace digital technologies and innovations to modernise government services and enhance public sector efficiency.
Speaking at Malacañan Palace on Thursday during the ceremonial presentation of the signed Memorandum of Agreement for the Philippine Civil Service Digital Leadership Program, President Marcos emphasised the importance of innovation in achieving better service outcomes for the Filipino people.
“It is an opportunity now for us to rethink, to innovate and serve our people better through technology,” the President declared, underscoring the government’s commitment to creating a responsive and future-ready civil service.
President Marcos shared that the concept for the Philippine Civil Service Digital Leadership Program was first raised in June 2023 by the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Digital Infrastructure Sector Lead. This idea eventually led to the collaboration among multiple stakeholders and the drafting of a comprehensive memorandum, which was officially announced on 14 February 2025.
“Now, the early results of this initiative have come to fruition,” the President said, as he welcomed the first batch of participants who completed the pilot training phase of the programme.
According to the President, 30 representatives from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) recently returned from Singapore after successfully completing a rigorous pilot training led by the National University of Singapore’s Institute of Systems Science. These civil servants were trained in areas crucial to digital transformation, including digital leadership, citizen-centric design thinking and data-driven decision-making.
President Marcos stressed that these newly equipped public servants now carry the responsibility of applying their learnings to modernise government processes and improve public service delivery at home.
“This programme enables us to empower our public servants with the mindset and skills necessary to lead transformation from within the bureaucracy,” he explained.
Looking ahead, the President revealed that Phase 2 of the programme, which runs until 2027, aims to train at least 10,000 civil servants across various agencies and departments. The long-term goal is to build a digitally competent and agile public sector workforce capable of delivering more efficient, transparent and citizen-focused services.
The initiative is seen as a critical part of the government’s broader digital transformation agenda, which is aimed at ensuring more inclusive and accessible governance for all Filipinos. In his speech, President Marcos also extended his gratitude to the key institutions and partners behind the initiative.
He acknowledged the Civil Service Commission, the National University of Singapore’s Institute of Systems Science and PSAC through the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. for their commitment and collaboration in making the programme possible.
He also thanked the Temasek Foundation, the SM Group and the Ayala Group for their invaluable support. Their involvement, he said, reflects a shared vision between the public and private sectors for a better-functioning, digitally advanced government.
“This collaboration brings us closer to realising our shared aspiration of building a modernised public sector workforce,” President Marcos said. “Through this programme, we can ensure that our government remains responsive, efficient and capable of addressing the changing needs of our citizens.”
The Philippine Civil Service Digital Leadership Program represents a significant milestone in the country’s digital journey and sets a clear direction for future government efforts to integrate technology into public service delivery.
With strong support from both local and international partners, the initiative is poised to accelerate the transformation of the Philippine bureaucracy into a more modern, tech-savvy institution that prioritises the needs and expectations of the people it serves.
This initiative not only seeks to equip civil servants with the necessary skills but also aims to inspire a culture of innovation and continuous learning within the public sector.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Samaya Dharmaraj
Quelle/Source: Open Gov Asia, 25.04.2025
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