KIND

Korea and the Philippines Jointly Draft Blueprint for Digital Government Infrastructure

  - Concretizing a model for building e-government cloud and data center systems through the Ministry of Economy and Finance's EIPP (Economic Innovation Partnership Program)

 - Discussions on expanding the Korean-style e-government model gain momentum on the occasion of the visit to Korea by the Vice Minister of the Philippines' DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol), the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (hereinafter KIND, President Kim Bok-hwan), and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA, President Kang Kyung-sung) held an interim report meeting on the e-government and data center project under the "2025/26 Philippines Economic Innovation Partnership Program (hereinafter EIPP)" at the Koreana Hotel on July 1.

The meeting was arranged to share the results of the Korean side's research aimed at concretizing the Philippines' e-government cloud and data center model, and to jointly discuss future directions for the initiative.

The event was attended by a 13-member Philippine delegation, including Sarah Maria Q. Sison, Undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Assistant Secretary Maria Victoria Castro.

The Philippine delegation received insights on Korea's experience in building e-government systems and discussed approaches to establishing a master plan for the future demonstration and pilot operation of cloud and data center technologies within the Philippines.

During their visit to Korea, the Philippine delegation also plans to tour major Korean data centers and meet with domestic cloud service companies to explore business partnerships between the two countries.

Furthermore, this project is significant in that it lays the groundwork for cooperation by Korean companies in the Philippine digital infrastructure market. Going forward, an expanded presence of Korean firms is anticipated in areas such as cloud, data centers, information security, and system integration, as well as in AI transformation (AX) and digital transformation (DX).

Meanwhile, the EIPP is an economic cooperation program that the Ministry of Economy and Finance has operated since 2020 to jointly plan infrastructure projects in partner countries and support Korean firms in winning overseas contracts. As a model that expands upon the existing Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP), it provides comprehensive support—including policy consultation and feasibility studies—over a period of three to five years for the development of large-scale infrastructure essential to partner countries' economic growth.

Now in its second year, the Philippines EIPP was launched after the Philippine government officially requested cooperation from the Korean government in March 2023 to drive its digital transformation and innovation. This followed the designation of enhancing government efficiency and transparency through digital transformation as a key task under the Philippine Development Plan (2023–2028).

Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the EIPP in October 2024, the two countries have continued their cooperation for a second year, with the goal of realizing e-government through initiatives such as upgrading e-cloud infrastructure and establishing an integrated national data center.

This project aims to support the Philippines' transition to a digital economy through the realization of e-government. Beginning with the establishment of an e-government master plan and data center development plan in 2024/25, the 2025/26 phase has advanced a preliminary feasibility study for the e-government cloud and the design of a government data center construction model. The initiative plans to expand further through 2026/27 into a pilot deployment of an integrated cloud platform and linked data center projects.