MANILA — Key leaders of PhilHealth and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) gathered for a ceremonial launch of its Digital Transformation Systems ePhilhealth platform on Tuesday, July 9 in Pasig City.

Since June 2023, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has played a crucial role in the Philippines' digital transformation by integrating a range of government services into the eGovPH app. 

The app, designed with Single-Sign-On (SSO) APIs and linked to the digital national ID, aims to streamline access to government services securely.

Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., President and CEO of PhilHealth, stressed the ePhilhealth platform’s role in advancing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of accelerated digitalization for improved public service delivery. 

Through the integration of PhilHealth services into the eGovPH app, this initiative aligns with the Ease of Doing Business Act, making transactions more convenient and efficient for Filipinos.

“[This is] a great leap towards realizing the vision set forth by our President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. in the State of the Nation directive of 2023 expediting digitalization efforts towards better public service delivery,” Ledesma said in his opening remarks.

Secretary Ivan John E. Uy emphasized the critical importance of cybersecurity in modern IT systems, noting past vulnerabilities stemming from inadequate security sectors globally, he stressed the necessity of prioritizing cybersecurity to safeguard against potential threats.

”With over the past several decades, napakaraming mga IT systems na sinet-up and during those times cybersecurity has not been a primary concern. Lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno even the private sector… tuwing lumalabas sila ng IT systems, hindi nila binibibigyang importansya ang cybersecurity dahil hindi lang prevalent yung mga incidents. So, ‘yan ang nakita ngayon ng mga kriminal na mga hackers,” Uy said.

”Dahil sa dami ng sistema na dine-design without cybersecurity in mind, we are seeing all the breaches. We are seeing all the hacks that are happening all over the place and it’s not just the Philippines it’s all over the world,” he added.

Uy also underscored DICT’s dual role in enhancing cybersecurity protocols while fortifying legacy systems against evolving cyber threats. “Dual ang role namin now and forward we’re developing and designing cybersecurity systems at the same time we’re helping those that do not have any cybersecurity system to build up their resiliency and their cyber defenses so yan yung challenge today.”