UP activates country's first University PNPKI Registration Authority
13 May 2026 | UP Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – The University of the Philippines (UP) on May 13, 2026 became the first Philippine university authorized to operate as a Registration Authority under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI), enabling identity verification and enrollment for government-recognized digital certificates across the UP System.
Digital certificates under the PNPKI support secure electronic signatures and authenticated digital transactions, enabling workflows such as remote document approval, inter-campus administrative processing, authenticated university records, and paperless authorization of official transactions.
The arrangement is expected to reduce processing delays, strengthen accountability, and improve operational efficiency across geographically distributed offices and units within the UP System.
“Real public service in the digital age depends not only on access, but on trusted authentication,” said Peter A. Sy, Vice President for Digital Transformation of UP.
Vice President Sy also emphasized that as more public transactions become digital, institutions also have a greater responsibility in verifying its stakeholders’ identities, authorizing actions securely, and maintaining confidence in digital records and approvals.
The activation integrates UP into the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI), the government framework for trusted digital identities and legally recognized electronic signatures established under Executive Order No. 810, s. 2009. Through the arrangement, designated UP Registration Authority Officers (RAOs) and Registration Authority Assistants (RAAs) may process certificate applications and facilitate revocation requests for members of the UP community.
“This milestone reflects our shared commitment to advancing e-governance through collaboration, innovation, and public service,” said Supervising Director Ahmed Genesis F. Simon of the GDTB-Digital Certificate Division of DICT.
Supervising Director Simon added, “As we move forward, may we continue to work together with humility, integrity, and purpose, always remembering that technology is most meaningful when it serves the people.”
UP’s designation makes it the first entity beyond DICT to assume that role, distributing the load while drawing on the university’s decentralized structure: each constituent university operates its own IT office, Human Resources Development Office, and digital innovation unit, an existing distributed governance structure that supports institution-wide PKI implementation across geographically dispersed campuses. The arrangement strengthens cybersecurity across UP’s transactions and operationalizes the university’s Policy on Electronic Documents and Signatures as part of its broader digital transformation agenda.
The pioneer batch of officers formally received their crypto-tokens after completing the required PNPKI Registration Authority training and DICT-prescribed qualification processes.
They will begin processing applications from UP faculty, staff, and administrative offices in the coming weeks under the three-year DICT–UP Memorandum of Agreement, subject to joint review and renewal.
For interview requests and further information on UP’s PNPKI Registration Authority rollout, contact the UP Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation.
Marisha Beloro, Senior Project Manager
Email: [email protected].
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