The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Google Cloud have entered into a multi-year collaboration to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and strengthen cybersecurity across government agencies, announced on June 22. The partnership supports the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 and includes an “AI Agents for Public Sector” program making Google’s Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace tools available through the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management’s eMarketplace platform. DICT plans to develop AI agents for conversational interfaces using local languages, providing guidance on business registration, health center schedules, and disaster assistance. More than 50,000 government workers are expected to initially receive access, with DICT targeting deployment to over 200,000 public servants within the next 18 months. Cybersecurity initiatives include a cross-agency cyber defense alliance led by the DICT Cybersecurity Bureau, which has deployed Google Cloud Cybershield at the National Security Operations Center (NSOC). Cybersecurity teams from 56 government agencies have been onboarded, with the number expected to reach 90 agencies by the end of June, and the infrastructure is helping secure the Philippine hosting of the Asean Summits from April to November 2026. The collaboration also aligns with extending the Taiwan-Philippines-US (TPU) subsea cable system.