Can independent tech builders transform how government works for citizens? That is the premise behind the newly launched BetterGov Fellowship, a three-month initiative designed to pair software builders, data analysts, and designers directly with public sector leaders to co-develop digital solutions.
Unveiled at the BetterGov.PH Summit 2026 held in Eastwood City on Oct. 17, the fellowship is a joint initiative of WeSolve Foundation, the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The fellowship was formally introduced by Kenneth Isaiah Abante, president of WeSolve Foundation, following a message from DBM secretary Kim Robert de Leon.
“It is amazing and inspiring to see government, civil society, and the civic tech movement all coming together to solve our nation’s most pressing problems. This is our chance to change our country’s broken systems,” Abante remarked.
Representatives from government offices and civil society organizations presented the following challenge areas and invited participants to contribute solutions:
- Budget and Procurement: Director Maan Espinosa of DBM and Jan Sagdullas of WeSolve Foundation, in collaboration with Open Contracting Partnership
- Energy: Undersecretary Sasa Del Rosario of the Department of Energy (DOE) and Eunice Tanilon of Mura, Malinis, at Maasahang Kuryente Coalition
- Health: Dr. Kristine Ara Renolayan of the Department of Health (DOH) and Anne Rey of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)
- Basic Education: Undersecretary Ronald U. Mendoza of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Daniel Benito of the Evidence for Education Coalition
- Early Childhood Care and Development: Bryan Gonzales, representing Karol Mark Yee, executive director of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2)
- Infrastructure Monitoring: Undersecretary Nick Conti of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Dondon Parafina of Bisto Proyekto
- Justice and Accountability: Chuck Crisanto of the Office of the Ombudsman and Tim Salomon of CODE-NGO
Additional challenge areas include e-government, local government transparency and monitoring, open data, statistics and freedom of information, gender and development, and accountability and governance trackers.
The fellowship aims to bridge grassroots technology and public administration by turning systemic governance challenges into practical civic technologies.
It seeks to accelerate the integration of government datasets and public information into the DBM COMPASS (Centralized Open Monitoring Platform for Appropriations and Spending Statistics) ecosystem and government open data platforms.
It also aims to strengthen partnerships among government agencies, civil society organizations, academia, and civic technology communities by promoting the use of open data, APIs, and emerging technologies for public accountability and citizen engagement. Another objective is to pilot a replicable model for collaboration between civic tech groups and government under the PH-OGP.
The fellowship is open to individuals, teams, existing organizations, and informal groups. Eligible participants include data scientists and analysts, open data practitioners, student developers and academic teams, software engineers, product designers and UX specialists, researchers and technologists, and civic technology developers, organizations, and volunteer groups.
BetterGov fellows are expected to deliver the following:
- Working civic tech solutions, such as platform enhancements, data tools, dashboards, API services, or other approved digital goods
- Integration with DBM COMPASS, E-Gov, or BetterGov.PH Open Data
- Documentation of their work
- Participation in orientation sessions, weekly sprints, mentorship sessions, technical consultations, government engagements, and Demo Day
In return, fellows will receive mentorship, capacity building, program management, technical support, and access to a shared initial grant pool of P450,000. Organizers are also welcoming additional sponsorships.
Applications are open until Nov. 17, with the final cohort set to be announced on November 30. The fellowship will run from December 2026 to March 2027.
BetterGov.PH founder and co-convenor Jason Torres welcomed the milestone, noting that the fellowship “demonstrates that the government is willing to work with its citizens through its Open Government Partnership.”
Technologists and community members interested in applying or supporting the initiative can learn more at fellowship.bettergov.ph.
