Marcos visits Converge AI-ready data center in Pampanga

• Photo courtesy of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Facebook page)

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inspected the Converge Angeles Data Center in Pampanga on Friday, July 24, days after signing an executive order that sets rules for keeping and processing government data within approved locations.

“We are preparing for the future. Now,” Marcos wrote during his visit.

Marcos inspected the facility’s server areas and operations center and was briefed on its capacity to host government systems.

Courtesy of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“As we build a more digital Philippines, we are also strengthening our digital sovereignty and ensuring that our data remains secure and under our own control,” Marcos said.

The Converge Angeles Data Center is being developed as an AI-ready sovereign cloud facility that could support the secure transfer of government systems and information to locally hosted cloud infrastructure.

Built on a 5,000-square-meter property, the Tier III-certified facility has a 12-megawatt capacity and can accommodate up to 1,200 high-density server racks, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

The facility could strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure, support AI-driven innovation, attract high-value investments, and help deliver faster and more secure government services.

The government has been pushing for local data centers and AI infrastructure to reduce dependence on overseas facilities and improve the protection of sensitive government and citizen data.

The visit came days after Marcos signed Executive Order No. 119, which updated the government’s data classification rules and established a framework for the storage and processing of government information.

Titled “Updating the Government Data Classification, Establishing a Data Residency Framework, and for Other Purposes,” EO 119 introduces a risk-based approach to protecting sensitive government data.

The order also provides clearer rules for the use of cloud services, data centers, and other digital infrastructure providers as government agencies expand their digital operations.

Marcos OKs EO to strengthen government data security, support digital infrastructure growth