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A former senior official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has come forward with allegations that internal disputes and severe budget constraints—not merely technical issues—contributed to the operational challenges faced by the government's flagship eGovPH platform, including recent service disruptions that affected millions of users.

In a detailed public Facebook post, Tirso Raymond "Mon" Gutierrez, former chief of staff to DICT Undersecretary David Almirol Jr., painted a picture of an e-government program struggling to scale despite rising adoption, hampered by limited funding, organizational friction, and what he described as deliberate pressure on leadership.

"I Was There": An Insider's Account

"I was there, I was Usec. Dave's chief of staff. Seen and heard all, kasi nandun ako mismo," Gutierrez said, asserting firsthand knowledge of the internal dynamics that shaped the eGov initiative.

According to Gutierrez, the eGov team was built from scratch with a small group of developers working to create multiple digital platforms aimed at improving government services and supporting the Ease of Doing Business Law—a priority reform agenda intended to reduce bureaucratic red tape and attract investment.

He described a situation in which technical talent was difficult to retain due to uncompetitive government salaries:

"Thus, the eGov team was born… walang may gustong mag join na IT experts at magagaling na programmers sa gobyerno kasi ang baba ng sweldo," he said.

Some team members, Gutierrez alleged, were even supported financially through private means to compensate for the gap between market rates and government pay scales.

Budget Constraints: "Zero Tier 2 Allocation" in 2025

Gutierrez made a specific allegation regarding budget allocation, claiming the eGov program received "zero" Tier 2 budget allocation in 2025 while other divisions within DICT were funded. He suggested this was part of broader pressure on Undersecretary Almirol's leadership.

More critically, Gutierrez said funding intended for cloud services—essential infrastructure for scaling the platform to handle growing user demand—was not released despite prior approval.

"Cloud services are critical for scaling," he noted. "But the budget was not released, even though it was approved and demand was increasing."

The Official Explanation: Surge in User Activity

The DICT earlier attributed the disruption of eGovPH services to a surge in user activity that strained system capacity, saying technical teams responded immediately and restored affected services.

"The outage reflected growing public reliance on digital government platforms," the agency said, acknowledging the need to upgrade infrastructure as demand increases.

The incident coincided with a Senate hearing where DICT officials raised funding concerns, including the cost of cloud services supporting government systems. The department said it is coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and other agencies to address long-term resource requirements.

Gutierrez's Allegations vs. DICT's Position

Gutierrez's account suggests that beyond technical constraints, organizational and funding issues may have affected the platform's stability—implications that go beyond the agency's public explanation of a traffic surge.

Key points of divergence:

IssueGutierrez's AccountDICT's Public StatementRoot CauseBudget constraints, internal conflictSurge in user activity2025 Budget"Zero" Tier 2 allocation for eGovNot addressed publiclyCloud FundingApproved but not releasedCoordinating with DBM for long-term needsTeam CapacityBuilt from scratch, underfundedTechnical teams responded immediately

The DICT has not issued a response to Gutierrez's specific allegations as of this posting.

Rapid Rollout, Real Impact

Despite the challenges, Gutierrez highlighted the rapid development and adoption of e-government systems under the team he was part of:

"Millions of people started using them because it provided real support to the Ease of Doing Business Law," he said.

The eGovPH platform is a key component of the government's digital transformation efforts, integrating services such as:

- Digital ID systems – Enabling citizens to authenticate identity online - Travel systems – Streamlining departure and arrival processes - Local government applications – Connecting LGUs to national digital infrastructure - Business permitting – Supporting online registration and compliance

These services, when functioning properly, reduce the need for in-person government transactions—a critical improvement in a country where bureaucratic inefficiency has long been a barrier to economic participation.

The Broader Context: Digital Philippines at a Crossroads

The eGovPH controversy arrives at a pivotal moment for the Philippines' digital transformation agenda. The country has made significant strides in recent years:

- National ID Program: The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) has registered tens of millions of Filipinos - Ease of Doing Business Act: Mandated streamlined government processes across agencies - Digital Economy Framework: Government commitments to expand internet access and digital literacy

Yet the eGovPH outage—and the conflicting explanations surrounding it—highlights the fragility of digital public infrastructure when resources, governance, and technical capacity are misaligned.

Reflection: Why Competency and Heartfelt Service Matter for Department Secretaries

The eGovPH situation underscores a fundamental truth about public service: technical competence alone is insufficient without genuine commitment to the people being served.

Competency: The Non-Negotiable Foundation

Department secretaries and agency heads must possess more than political loyalty or administrative experience. They need domain expertise—or at minimum, the humility to surround themselves with people who do.

In the case of DICT and eGovPH:

- Technical Understanding: A secretary leading a technology agency must understand cloud infrastructure, scalability, and cybersecurity at a strategic level—not to code, but to make informed budget and policy decisions - Resource Advocacy: Competent leaders anticipate needs before crises occur. If cloud costs were known to scale with adoption, funding requests should have been prioritized and defended before outages happened - Talent Retention: Government cannot compete with private sector salaries dollar-for-dollar, but competent leaders find other ways to retain talent: mission-driven culture, professional development, recognition, and creative compensation structures Service to Country: Beyond the Title

More than competency, department secretaries must be true to heart in their service to the country. This means:

- Putting Citizens First: When millions depend on a digital service for livelihoods, permits, or identity verification, uptime is not a technical metric—it's a public trust - Transparency Over Optics: Acknowledging problems honestly, rather than attributing failures to vague "surges" while internal conflicts fester - Protecting the Team: Good leaders shield their teams from political pressure and fight for their resources. Gutierrez's account suggests the opposite occurred - Legacy Over Tenure: The measure of a secretary's success is not how long they held the position, but what systems and institutions they leave behind that continue serving Filipinos after they're gone The Cost of Getting It Wrong

When department leaders lack either competency or genuine commitment, the consequences ripple outward:

- Millions of citizens lose access to essential services - Small businesses face delays in permits and registrations - Public trust in digital government erodes, making future reforms harder - Talented public servants become demoralized and leave, creating a brain drain - The country falls behind neighbors who are executing their digital transformation more effectively The Standard Filipinos Deserve

The Philippines does not lack talent, vision, or resources. What it sometimes lacks is leadership that combines technical competence with authentic public service—leaders who see their positions not as stepping stones to higher office or opportunities for patronage, but as sacred trusts to build systems that outlast them.

The eGovPH controversy is not merely about one platform's outage. It is a test case for whether the Philippines can build digital infrastructure that serves all Filipinos reliably, securely, and sustainably.

The answer depends on the people appointed to lead—and whether they are chosen for their ability to serve, not just their connections to serve themselves.

Key Takeaways

- Former DICT official speaks out: Mon Gutierrez alleges budget constraints and internal conflict behind eGovPH issues - "Zero Tier 2 budget" in 2025: eGov program allegedly received no allocation while other divisions were funded - Cloud funding not released: Approved budget for critical infrastructure allegedly withheld - Talent retention challenges: Low government salaries made it difficult to hire and retain IT experts - DICT's explanation: Agency attributes outage to surge in user activity, not internal issues - Millions affected: eGovPH supports digital ID, travel, LGU apps, and business permitting - Leadership lesson: Competency and heartfelt public service are non-negotiable for department secretaries

What Happens Next

The DICT has yet to respond to Gutierrez's specific allegations. The Senate hearing where funding concerns were raised may provide a forum for further clarification.

For millions of Filipinos relying on eGovPH for essential services, the hope is that whatever internal conflicts exist, they are resolved quickly—and that the resources needed to maintain reliable digital public infrastructure are secured before the next outage occurs.