UP adopts DICT’s public key infra to strengthen e-signature policy
30 July 2025 | Written by: Philip Jamilla | UP Media and Communication Office
UP Vice President for Digital Transformation Peter Sy (left), UP President Angelo Jimenez (second from left), Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Chief of Staff Christina Faye Condez-de Sagon (third from left), and Department of Information and Communications Technology Officer-in-Charge of DICT Cybersecurity Bureau (right) hold copies of the MOA following the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement on Philippine national public key infrastructure, held on July 21, 2025, at the Board of Regents Room, UP Diliman. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.
The University of the Philippines is set to adopt the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure to reinforce UP’s electronic signature policy.
UP President Angelo Jimenez and DICT Undersecretary for Special Concerns Christina Faye Condez-de Sagon led the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the two institutions on July 21 to establish UP as a Registration Authority of the PNPKI.
“By becoming an RA, UP is taking on a larger role in securing our institutional and national digital infrastructure,” Jimenez stated. “This enables us to manage digital certificates internally, and at the same time eases the administrative burden on the DICT,” which is currently the sole RA of the PNPKI in the country.
The PNPKI is an infrastructure to manage digital certificates, which can be used to digitally sign and encrypt documents and communications — improving the verifiable identification of an individual or entity and ensuring the security and authenticity of data.
University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez (second from left) and Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Chief of Staff Christina Faye Condez-de Sagon (third from left) discuss key areas of collaboration at the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement on the Philippine national public key infrastructure, held on July 21, 2025, at the Board of Regents Room, UP Diliman. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.
Offered as one of DICT’s core services, the PNPKI aims to improve the delivery of government services to citizens by streamlining digital processes while enhancing the integrity of online transactions among individuals and government agencies.
Jimenez said that UP’s establishment as an RA “supports [UP’s] own digital transformation, strengthens the country’s trusted digital ecosystem, and further cements our institutional synergy with the DICT.” It will also support the implementation of UP’s policy on electronic documents and signatures, which was approved by the Board of Regents on Aug. 30, 2024.
As part of the MOA, the DICT will provide a resource person to train UP’s RA officers. The agreement takes effect for a period of three years unless otherwise mutually terminated by both institutions.
UP Vice President for Digital Transformation Peter Sy (left) delivers the opening remarks at the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement on Philippine national public key infrastructure, held on July 21, 2025, at the Board of Regents Room, UP Diliman. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.
Condez-de Sagon said that the PNPKI’s implementation would not only allow UP to securely store and access its records in line with global best practices but also “bolster the bid for digital transformation on a national scale.”
UP Vice President for Digital Transformation Peter Sy also hoped that UP’s digital transformation efforts, including the partnership with DICT, would become a model that could be emulated by other state universities and colleges, as well as government agencies and even local government units.
“By building solutions across UP’s eight units and partnering with DICT, we hope to create something that can work not just for us, but for more people and more places across the country,” he said. “If we can make digital transformation work seamlessly for UP, we’re creating a blueprint for the entire Philippines.”
Follow the OVPDx Facebook page for updates on the office’s whereabouts.