DICT and Google Cloud Partner on Multi-Year AI and Cybersecurity Initiatives to Deliver Next-Generation Citizen Services

The Department of Information and Communications Technology and Google Cloud announced an expanded multi-year collaboration to embed enterprise AI into public service delivery in the Philippines. The partnership focuses on making government services simpler, faster and more secure. The agencies are advancing an AI Agents for Public Sector program and a cross-agency cyber defense alliance. Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace have been made available to public servants through the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management eMarketplace platform, which launched in the first quarter of 2026. More than 50,000 public servants will receive the Gemini Enterprise app initially. DICT plans to expand access to more than 200,000 public servants over the next 18 months. The app supports queries across data sources, such as retrieving building permit applications. The DICT Cybersecurity Bureau has established a cross-agency cyber defense alliance with Google Cloud support. Google Cloud Cybershield was deployed at the National Security Operations Center, with security teams from 56 government agencies onboarded and plans to reach 90 agencies by end-June 2026. The collaboration supports the integration of trans-Pacific subsea cable systems, including the Taiwan-Philippines-U.S. system, to bolster digital infrastructure. Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda said transformation is not defined by the adoption of sophisticated software tools alone but by facilitating sustained systemic efficiency across public institutions. Country Manager Jennifer Ligones said the collaboration is designed to democratize the benefits of AI.