Davao City is preparing to take a major step toward faster digital government services after its City Council authorized Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to sign an agreement with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that would allow City Hall to process and approve digital signature applications for its own employees.
The resolution, approved on November 3, 2026, would make Davao City the first local government unit in the Philippines to serve as a Registration Authority under the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI).
The initiative is designed to address a problem that has reportedly delayed government transactions for months: the long wait for digital signature certificates issued through the DICT.
Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, chairperson of the City Council’s Committee on Information Technology and sponsor of the resolution, said the delays had affected even senior city officials. He cited the experience of the mayor, whose digital certificate reportedly expired before the application was approved.
The proposed arrangement could help City Hall process documents more efficiently, particularly in offices handling large volumes of permits, licenses and other official transactions. However, the agreement still needs to be signed and the city’s personnel trained before the new arrangement can begin. SunStar Publishing Inc.+1
How Davao City’s Digital Signature System Will Work
The agreement will allow the City Archives and Records Office (CARO) to take on the role of a Registration Authority for the PNPKI.
At present, CARO assists city employees with application forms and identity verification before forwarding their applications to the DICT for approval.
Once the memorandum of agreement is signed, the city office will be authorized to process and approve applications from qualified Davao City government employees, subject to PNPKI requirements.
A Registration Authority is responsible for receiving and processing applications for digital certificates. It does not simply provide an electronic image of a person’s signature. Instead, it helps establish the identity of the person who will use a cryptographic certificate to sign official electronic documents.
The change is intended to reduce the administrative bottleneck created when every application must pass through the DICT’s existing approval process. SunStar Publishing Inc.+1
Why the City Wants to End Months-Long Approval Delays
Militar said applications previously took months to receive approval, despite the DICT’s policy stating that a digital certificate should be issued within five calendar days after the applicant’s identity has been verified.
He attributed the delays to limited personnel handling applications.
The problem can affect government operations because digital certificates are valid for up to two years, after which holders must reapply in person.
If an official’s certificate expires while a renewal or new application is pending, the delay can complicate the processing and signing of documents.
The proposed local arrangement is intended to shorten that waiting period by allowing CARO to handle qualified applications directly instead of sending every case to the DICT for approval.
However, the five-day policy and the reported months-long delays refer to different stages of the process: the DICT’s stated issuance period begins after identity verification, while the reported delays concern the overall application and approval experience. SunStar Publishing Inc.+1
Digital Signatures Are Not the Same as Scanned Signatures
One of the most important features of the PNPKI system is its ability to verify the identity of the person signing a document and detect unauthorized changes.
A scanned signature is essentially an image placed on a digital document. It can be copied and inserted into other files, making it difficult to establish whether the actual signatory authorized the document.
A PNPKI-backed digital signature works differently.
It uses a digital certificate connected to the signer’s verified identity. The signature is time-stamped and cryptographically linked to the document. If someone changes the signed document afterward, the signature’s validation will show that its integrity has been compromised.
The system is designed to support four important security principles:
- Authentication: Establishing the identity of the person signing.
- Integrity: Helping detect whether a document has been changed after signing.
- Confidentiality: Supporting secure communications and information handling.
- Non-repudiation: Providing evidence that a particular certificate was used to sign a document.
These protections are particularly important for government records, permits, licenses and other official transactions that require accountable approvals.
Militar also said DICT representatives told the committee that they had not recorded a compromised PNPKI digital signature since the system began operating. That statement reflects what was reported during the committee discussions and should not be interpreted as a guarantee that all digital systems are immune to cyberattacks. Mindanao Times+1
Davao City Would Follow the University of the Philippines
Davao City would not be the first organization outside the DICT to receive Registration Authority status.
According to the reports, the University of the Philippines became the first entity outside the department to take on the role in May 2026.
If the agreement is finalized, Davao City would become the first local government unit to receive this authorization and the second entity outside the DICT to do so, according to Militar.
The distinction matters because it could provide a model for other local governments seeking to strengthen their digital operations and reduce dependence on centralized processing.
The arrangement would also demonstrate how national digital infrastructure can be extended to local government offices, provided that the required security, identity-verification and administrative standards are maintained. SunStar Publishing Inc.+1
Which Government Transactions Could Benefit?
The immediate beneficiaries are Davao City government employees and the offices that rely on their digital signatures.
The City Council committee report said most heads of city offices already use digital signatures, particularly in departments handling high volumes of documents.
These include priority services involving permits and licensing, where officials must sign numerous applications and approvals.
Davao City already operates several online services, including:
- Business permit applications and renewals.
- Building permit applications, assessments and payments.
- Occupational and special permit processing.
- Online Community Tax Certificate applications.
- Professional Tax Receipt registration and payments.
- Online city tax payments.
The city’s official online services platform allows residents and businesses to access these transactions digitally. Faster processing of officials’ digital certificates could help improve internal document workflows supporting these services.
However, the new PNPKI arrangement does not automatically mean that every permit application will be approved faster or that all city transactions will become fully automated. It specifically concerns the processing of digital signature applications for city employees. City Government of Davao+1
Davao’s Digital Government Push Is Expanding
The initiative forms part of a broader effort to modernize government operations through digital technology.
In 2023, Davao City issued an executive order creating a technical working group to support the digitalization and improvement of revenue-generating applications, including its business permit system, real property tax administration, infrastructure permits and online payment platforms.
The city also established a centralized digital services direction intended to make government transactions more accessible to residents and businesses.
Nationally, the Philippines is pursuing wider improvements to its digital infrastructure. WWC ONE MEDIA previously reported on the government’s ₱2.48-billion public-private partnership project to upgrade the Philippine Digital National ID system, which aims to improve identity registration and authentication services.
The broader digital transformation also faces challenges involving infrastructure, funding and technical expertise. Read WWC ONE MEDIA’s report on why Philippine local government units are lagging in AI readiness despite growing digital ambitions.
For businesses and investors, faster government processing is another important part of digital reform. WWC ONE MEDIA has also examined the Philippines’ Digital Investor’s Guidebook and the continuing challenge of securing actual government approvals.
Together, these developments highlight a central issue: digitizing government services is not just about putting forms online. Agencies must also improve the systems, staffing and approval procedures behind those services.
What Happens Before Davao City Can Start Approving Applications?
The City Council’s November 3 action authorized the mayor to sign the memorandum of agreement with the DICT. It did not mean that Davao City had already begun independently approving digital signature applications.
According to Militar, implementation will begin once the mayor signs the agreement.
The next steps include:
- Signing the agreement: The city and DICT must formalize the arrangement.
- Preparing CARO: The City Archives and Records Office must be ready to perform its Registration Authority responsibilities.
- Training employees: City personnel will undergo orientation and training on the application and verification process.
- Putting the necessary infrastructure in place: The city must ensure that the required systems and resources are available.
- Starting application processing: Qualified city employees can then apply through the authorized local process, subject to PNPKI requirements.
Militar said funds had already been allocated for implementation, although he did not disclose the amount.
The city has not announced a specific date when the new application process will become operational. SunStar Publishing Inc.+1
Could Other Philippine LGUs Follow Davao City’s Lead?
If the arrangement works as intended, it could encourage other local governments to explore similar partnerships with the DICT.
Many LGUs handle large volumes of permits, licenses, financial documents and administrative approvals. Delays in obtaining or renewing digital certificates can create additional work for government employees and slow down internal processes.
Giving qualified local offices the authority to process applications could help distribute the workload, but it would also require strict compliance with national security and identity-verification standards.
The success of Davao City’s initiative will therefore depend on more than the signing of an agreement. The city must demonstrate that it can process applications efficiently without weakening the safeguards that make PNPKI digital certificates trustworthy.
For now, the resolution represents a significant step in Davao City’s digital government agenda. The real test begins when the agreement is signed, employees are trained and applications start moving through the new system.
