By Nina Crisostomo
Volunteers and government work side by side on the refreshed portal; GitHub repository to open, eGov platform version 2 set for November 9
QUEZON CITY, October 18, 2026: BetterGov.PH volunteers are collaborating with the Philippine government to promote transparency, accountability, accessibility, and digital innovation for every Filipino.
At the first BetterGov.PH Summit, founder Jason Torres and DICT Undersecretary David Almirol announced that eGovPH and BetterGov.PH are building GOV.PH together. The refreshed portal went live on October 18 and will continue to evolve over the coming weeks, with the aim of making public services easier to find online.
That means volunteers and government working side by side, with one goal: a government that is more open, easier to reach, and easier to hold accountable, for every Filipino.
What Usec. Almirol announced
- The GOV.PH GitHub repository will open to the public
- An IT community group chat will launch soon
- Version 2 of the eGov platform is scheduled for November 9
About the Summit
BetterGov.PH Summit 2026: Building Together, the movement's first summit, was held on October 17 at the ICITE Auditorium, Eastwood City Cyberpark. The free, full-day event opened with a look back at the first year, which began in September 2025 as a volunteer effort and has since grown to more than 5,000 volunteers. Ken Abante of WeSolve Foundation, with CJ Sevilla, Carlos Nazareno, and Valerie Peralta, led a hands-on workshop on the group's transparency tools.
Sen. Bam Aquino delivered a message of support, followed by a panel, "From Line Items to Lived Impact: CADENA and Budget Transparency." Panelists were Paola Deles of Aquino's office, Ann Cuisia of TraXion, AJ Montesa of the People's Budget Coalition, and public financial management specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara, moderated by Paul Pajo, co-convenor of BetterGov.PH.
The BetterGov.PH Fellowship also opened applications for builders to work on public challenges with government and civil society. Applications are at fellowship.bettergov.ph.
About BetterGov.PH
BetterGov.PH is a volunteer-driven civic technology movement that builds tools with and for the public, aiming to make government data, public spending, and governance more accessible to Filipinos. Learn more at bettergov.ph.
