The Philippines has partnered with Singapore to elevate the digital leadership competencies of Filipino civil servants, as part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to make the Philippine bureaucracy more innovative and efficient.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the Philippine Civil Service Digital Leadership Program (DLP) was presented to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Thursday.

The MOA was signed by Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairperson Marilyn Yap, National University of Singapore’s Institute of Systems Science (NUS-ISS) chief executive officer Khoon Chan Meng, and Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation (PCORP) chairperson Alfredo Ayala on Feb. 12.

In a keynote speech, Marcos said the collaboration brings his administration closer to realizing its aspiration of building a “modernized public sector workforce.”

“It is an opportunity now for us to rethink, to innovate, and serve our people better through technology. Very important aspects in this digital age. With this, we see a renewed success in all that we do in government and in our service to the public,” he said.

Under the MOA, the Philippine Civil Service DLP aims to equip public sector leaders with the knowledge and tools to lead digital initiatives effectively and drive innovation within government institutions.

The Philippine Civil Service DLP is composed of two phases, with the first phase featuring two pilot sessions in Singapore, allowing participants to undergo intensive three-day training conducted by the NUS-ISS.

It is expected to benefit over 10,000 civil servants.

Marcos said the early results of the initiative “have come to fruition,” following the participation of the first batch composed of 30 representatives from the CSC who completed their pilot training in Singapore earlier this month.

“They immersed themselves and brought back knowledge in understanding digital leadership, leveraging citizen-centric design, and making better decisions with data,” he said.

“Equipped with the necessary skills and a renewed vision for public service, these civil servants will then be catalysts in leading the digital transformation of our bureaucracy from within,” Marcos added. (PNA)