Unified eGov integration seen cutting up to P40B yearly by removing duplicate government ICT systems

• IN PHOTO: Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary for eGovernment Dave Almirol.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the government stands to save as much as P40 billion annually by consolidating digital government systems and stopping government agencies from building separate information and communications technology (ICT) platforms that perform similar functions.

DICT Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. said billions of pesos are being spent on overlapping ICT projects because agencies continue to independently develop their own payroll, human resource, document management and other enterprise systems despite having similar requirements.

According to Almirol, the proposed E-Governance Act aims to end this practice by requiring agencies to use shared government digital platforms rather than procuring standalone solutions.

“If we stop duplicating systems across government, we estimate annual savings of around P30 billion to P40 billion,” Almirol said.

He said DICT’s recent review of more than P200 billion worth of proposed ICT projects revealed multiple agencies requesting funding for nearly identical digital systems that could instead be provided through a common national platform.

Rather than allowing every agency to build and maintain its own applications, the government is promoting a unified digital infrastructure where core systems are shared across the bureaucracy.

Almirol said this “build once, use many” strategy would reduce development and maintenance costs, improve interoperability among agencies and make government digital services more sustainable.

He added that integration will also make public transactions more convenient by allowing government offices to securely share verified data, minimizing the repeated submission of the same documents by citizens when accessing different government services.

DICT is advocating the passage of the E-Governance Act to institutionalize a whole-of-government digital approach and prevent future investments in redundant ICT projects. Almirol said the billions of pesos saved each year could instead be invested in priority programs such as digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, innovation initiatives and support for Philippine technology startups.

The agency is also engaging the local technology sector to help accelerate digital transformation through initiatives such as the recently concluded eGovPH Hackathon 2026, which brought together software developers, engineers, designers and other technology professionals to develop solutions for government.

During the event, DICT announced the first batch of winners, with the Top 10 teams receiving ₱100,000 each. Almirol said additional funding also allowed the agency to expand the recognition program, with teams placing in the Top 20 and Top 30 to receive ₱50,000 each after the evaluation process is completed.

He said the hackathon reflects the government’s push to tap Filipino technology talent in developing scalable digital solutions that can be deployed across multiple agencies, reducing duplication while improving the delivery of public services.