en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has signed a multi-year cooperation agreement with Google Cloud to enhance public service efficiency through the deployment of enterprise-grade artificial intelligence (AI). The collaboration includes building a multi-agency cyber defense alliance and integrating the Taiwan-Philippines-United States (TPU) and Apricot submarine cable systems into the country's terrestrial network.
Through the "AI Agents for the Public Sector" initiative, the DICT is providing civil servants with access to Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace via the e-marketplace platform of the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM). This e-marketplace, built on Google Cloud infrastructure, was launched in the first quarter of 2026 and serves as the official e-commerce platform for the Philippine government's procurement of enterprise-grade cloud and AI services. DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda stated that this move aims to equip civil servants with AI tools and upskilling programs to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and boost public sector productivity.
Initially, the DICT plans to provide 50,000 civil servants with access to the Gemini Enterprise application, enabling them to discover, create, and use AI agents in a controlled environment. The DICT will leverage the Gemini Enterprise Agent platform to develop and manage AI agents that assist citizens, including integrating context-aware AI agents into e-government platforms. Philippine citizens can interact with the system using local languages via voice or text to obtain information on administrative procedures, such as starting a small business, checking community health center schedules, and accessing disaster relief assistance guidelines, thereby replacing traditional lengthy paperwork processes.
The integration capabilities of Google Workspace further enhance the value of AI agents. Civil servants can use the Gemini Enterprise application to retrieve and consolidate information from isolated data sources, and utilize Workspace Intelligence to convert outputs such as research briefs and charts into collaborative documents, create presentations in Google Slides, or coordinate communication via Gmail and Google Chat. The DICT plans to expand access to Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace to over 200,000 civil servants within the next 18 months, quantifying the tools' value by tracking metrics such as usage frequency, productivity gains, cost savings, and user satisfaction.
In terms of cybersecurity, the DICT's Cybersecurity Bureau has established a cross-agency cyber defense alliance with support from Google Cloud. This alliance enables centralized monitoring of security incidents across public sector entities to coordinate responses to cyber threats targeting the government's digital ecosystem and critical infrastructure. The defense architecture will also protect the digital operations of the ASEAN Summit hosted by the Philippines from April to November 2026. The alliance has deployed Google Cloud Cybershield at the National Security Operations Center (NSOC), providing AI-driven and intelligence-led cybersecurity services. By the end of June, 90 government agencies are expected to join the alliance, with 56 agencies having completed the process and received training.
To meet the data transmission demands of the AI era, the DICT is collaborating with Google Cloud to integrate the TPU and Apricot submarine cable systems with the Philippines' commercial terrestrial cable network, including the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) managed by the DICT. Google stated that the TPU submarine cable will be expanded to handle the high-bandwidth bidirectional data flows required for AI services, thereby reducing cloud connectivity costs. This 13,470-kilometer submarine cable system is expected to be operational in 2026.
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