The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is exploring areas of cooperation with its counterparts in Belgium, as it seeks to accelerate the country’s adoption of new technologies.
DICT Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Foreign Relations Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said she met with Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Philippines Michel Parys to “discuss areas for digital cooperation, including on cybersecurity, digital ID and satellites.”
“We want to learn from digitally-advanced nations in terms of building and improving digital infrastructure, improving the public’s access to and the government’s delivery of public services through digitalization and strengthening measures against cyber threats,” she said.
Lamentillo noted that one of the technologies that the Philippines seeks for assistance would be digital IDs. Belgium, she said, has an eID, an electronic proof of identity that citizens can use for electronic transactions, such as signing electronic documents and securely logging in to online public services.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier said one of his key priorities is the hastening of the issuance of national IDs to make government transactions more seamless and efficient.
“The DICT, under the leadership of Secretary Ivan John Uy, is also exploring partnerships with other nations to help pursue the Marcos Administration’s Build Better More thrust, which aims to bridge the digital divide and improve the provision of public services through e-governance,” Lamentillo said.
