Davao City set to approve employees' digital signature applications under DICT deal

Davao City is poised to become the first local government unit in the country to serve as a registration authority for digital signatures, a move that would let City Hall approve its own employees' applications instead of waiting months for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), according to SunStar.

The City Council on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, passed a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DICT. The measure was sponsored by Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, who chairs the Committee on Information Technology.

Under the agreement, the city would join the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI), the DICT system of digital certificates that verify who signed a document and whether it was altered afterward, as a registration authority that receives and processes certificate applications. The DICT held that role alone until May 2026, when the University of the Philippines became the first outside entity to take it on.

Militar's committee report said the proposal came from the City Archives and Records Office (Caro). At present, Caro staff can only help employees fill out forms, verify their identities and endorse applications to the DICT. Once the MOA is signed, the office can approve applications from city employees who meet the basic requirements.

Militar told reporters the wait for DICT approval used to stretch for months, and that even the mayor's certificate expired before it was approved. He attributed the delays to a lack of DICT personnel, although the department's own policy calls for certificates to be issued within five calendar days of identity verification. Certificates are valid for up to two years, and holders must reapply in person each time.

Most heads of city offices already use digital signatures, which the committee report said helps priority services such as permits and licensing, where officials sign large volumes of documents. Unlike scanned signatures, PNPKI signatures are tied to the signer's DICT-issued ID, carry a time stamp, and disappear if the document is changed, the report said.

Militar said the DICT told his committee there has not been a single case of a compromised digital signature since the PNPKI began. Implementation will start once the mayor signs the MOA, followed by employee training. He said funds have been set aside but did not disclose the amount.