The firing of two senior Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officials by Malacañang in August 2026 over alleged violations of government bidding rules may have marked the beginning of the end for secretary Henry Aguda, whose departure from the Marcos administration followed a series of controversies involving the agency.
DICT secretary Henry Aguda’s exclusion from Pres. Marcos’ Singapore state visit, where Finance chief Frederick Go led talks with AWS, appears to have foreshadowed his reported resignation, which Ombudsman Boying Remulla has all but confirmed.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Henry Aguda has submitted his resignation after First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos asked Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to remove him over a series of controversies, industry sources told Newsbytes.PH.
Five technology professionals and digital rights advocates have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to invalidate the government’s nationwide blocking of Discord and prohibit similar restrictions on websites and social networking platforms, arguing that the agencies involved acted beyond their authority.
The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO) on Wednesday, Sept. 30, raised due process concerns over fines imposed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on telecommunications companies following its latest network performance validation, questioning both the timing of the penalties and the technical standards used by the regulator.
The Philippines ranked 52nd out of 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), maintaining relatively stronger performance in innovation outputs even as its ranking in innovation inputs slipped.
The Philippines needs to rethink its workforce strategy as artificial intelligence (AI) threatens occupations that the country has traditionally invested in while skilled Filipino workers continue to seek better opportunities abroad, economists and education experts said.
Former CHEd chairperson Prospero “Popoy” De Vera and PIDS senior research fellow Jose Ramon Albert have criticized the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) over their decision to block Discord and lift the restriction shortly afterward.
Malacañang has backed the Office of the Ombudsman’s investigation into alleged “ghost Internet” projects, saying irregular transactions involving public officials must be examined and those found responsible held accountable.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that it had tightened monitoring of the Free Wi-Fi for All Program amid an Office of the Ombudsman inquiry into alleged “ghost Internet projects” involving undelivered connectivity services and potentially misrepresented technology purchases.
