MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to roll out its first artificial intelligence (AI) governance framework within two months, aiming to bridge the country's AI readiness gap as it lags behind regional peers.
Speaking at the 2026 National Innovation Day, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon revealed the agency had already presented the framework to stakeholders for consultation. The framework will align with the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy.
"We want an AI development and deployment that will safeguard the sovereignty and long-term sustainability of the Philippine economy and society through the responsible use of AI. It should enable innovation by establishing a supportive and adaptive environment for AI research, development and deployment," Edillon said.
She added that the framework adopts a human-centered and rights-based approach, ensuring AI systems uphold dignity, equity, and societal well-being while enforcing robust data privacy, security, and accountability measures.
The urgency of the initiative is underscored by the country's low scores on international readiness indices. The International Monetary Fund found developing economies, including the Philippines, scored below 0.11 on its AI preparedness index. Meanwhile, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's 2025 Digital Government Index rated the Philippines at 0.28 out of 1, the third lowest among eight Southeast Asian nations surveyed and below the regional average of 0.37.
Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the framework is expected to narrow or close this readiness gap. "The framework should allow us to see what we need to address, what we need to develop, what we need to strengthen," he told reporters.
Balisacan emphasized both the opportunities and risks of AI. "If we don't have a good policy and clear governance framework, we expose our people to unnecessary risk. So the opportunities are huge, the benefits are huge, but we need to ensure that the technology does not pose harm to anyone. Just like any technologies, they can be misused," he said.
He also noted that AI is projected to contribute 10 to 18 percent of GDP in the ASEAN region by 2030. "Our focus is on upskilling and reskilling our workforce and getting the private sector, government and academe to work together. This will ensure that AI is a growth force for us," Balisacan added.