3 weeks ago
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Ranier Allan Ronda - The Philippine Star
February 21, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is taking charge of an ambitious initiative to establish standards and a regulatory framework for governing artificial intelligence (AI) in the country.
Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, ICT undersecretary for industry development, said that while creating AI standards and regulations requires a multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach, it must have centralized leadership to ensure a harmonized and comprehensive framework.
She highlighted DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy’s caution against “over-regulation,” warning that it could hinder innovation as Filipinos begin to explore the benefits and challenges of AI technology, which is expected to profoundly transform the global economy and society.
Sigue also pointed out that while AI is already making waves in the Philippines, with numerous AI-enabled platforms emerging, it is crucial to find a balance between innovation and regulation.
“We need to leverage this emerging technology that is really making a lot of waves in the Philippines today. There’s so much interest and so many use cases that we can actually scale with or without any laws,” Sigue said at the AI Governance and Ethics Training workshop last Tuesday.
“What we need in the Philippines is a way to balance all the factors that will make us succeed as a country in deploying, designing, developing AI systems… (while also) ensuring that the use of AI will not harm ordinary citizens,” she added.
The DICT, under the DICT Act of 2015 (RA 10844), is mandated to design and implement policies, frameworks and standards related to information and communications technology, with a particular focus on emerging technologies like AI.
As part of this mandate, the agency is collaborating with the British embassy and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development to conduct AI governance and ethics training.
The workshop, held at the Sheraton Hotel Manila, was part of a capacity-building initiative to support the DICT’s efforts in AI governance.
This initiative was shaped following Uy’s participation in the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, UK, in November 2023, where the Philippines was one of only three Asian countries represented.
Sigue also said the Philippines was the first beneficiary of the AI governance and ethics training of the Alan Turing Institute.
Playing a key role in designing training, the Alan Turing Institute is known for its scientific, consultative approach to AI. Their work involves engaging experts across various fields, including policymakers, scientists and engineers to ensure sound decision-making.
