Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. said platform usage has increased by 700 percent over the past year, significantly exceeding the agency’s original projections.
The app is now recording an average of 100,000 downloads daily and has already surpassed the DICT’s target of reaching 30 million users by 2028.
Growing usage
According to Almirol, digital transformation remains a key priority of the Marcos administration, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushing for government services that are faster, more accessible, and more convenient for citizens.
“The President wants to eliminate long lines, reduce red tape, and bring government services closer to the people through technology,” he said.
The eGovPH app serves as a one-stop platform for accessing government services, including digital IDs, permits and licenses, social welfare programs, local government services, citizen complaints, and other public transactions.
Almirol noted that the platform currently integrates more than 1,300 government systems and is one of 28 digital platforms managed by the DICT’s E-Government Office.
Built in-house
The DICT official also emphasized that the eGovPH platform was developed entirely by the agency’s own personnel.
“The DICT E-Government Office has successfully developed and deployed 28 digital platforms aimed at simplifying both back-end functions and front-end services,” Almirol said.
These include the Digital National ID, eLGU, eGovChain, eGovAI, and eGovCloud, among others.
The continued growth in downloads and transactions, he said, indicates that more Filipinos are increasingly relying on digital channels to access government services.
Capacity challenge
The platform’s rapid growth, however, has also created infrastructure challenges.
Almirol clarified that the service interruption experienced in April, which affected several eGov services for around five hours, was not caused by a cyberattack. Instead, it resulted from a surge in demand that exceeded available cloud resources.
“Usage surged significantly. It was like an electrical system being overloaded because demand exceeded our capacity,” he explained.
To maintain operations and prevent a wider disruption, the DICT activated backup systems and redundancy resources originally intended for disaster recovery.
Almirol said he is working closely with the Department of Budget and Management to secure additional funding needed to support the growing demand for the agency’s digital platforms.
Speaking at Philippine Blockchain Week, he said sustained adoption is the key to building public trust.
“When government digital transactions become a lifestyle and people no longer need to travel or fall in line for services, that’s when we gain their trust and confidence,” he said. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
