Palawan Provincial Government Trains More Than 50 Staff in AI Through PLDT and Smart’s AI-in-a-Box

More than 50 employees from offices across the Palawan Provincial Government have taken part in a training session on the responsible use of artificial intelligence, run with support from PLDT and Smart Communications under their AI-in-a-Box initiative, Context.ph reported on November 4. The session is part of the province’s wider digitalisation push and focused on how AI tools can streamline workflows and speed up public services.

Participants also received an AI-in-a-Box package that includes a Smart 5G WiFi device, prepaid load cards and access to an AI tool subscription. The training covered ethical uses of AI in research, information management, administrative work and public engagement. Provincial Administrator Jefrie Sahagun, speaking for Governor Amy Alvarez, said the aim is not an AI-enabled government for its own sake but a better government enabled by AI. Citizens may not see the systems behind government work, he said, but they feel the results, and what they want is fast service, clear answers and fair treatment. He added that technology must never replace human judgment, compassion and accountability.

Christian Anthony Villon, supervising administrative officer and data protection officer of the provincial government, said staff hope to use AI for tedious daily work such as transcribing meetings and other administrative tasks, and eventually to automate manual processes so that services reach people faster.

What it means in practice

The Palawan session is small, but it reflects a pattern of local governments building AI skills before buying larger systems. It follows the Development Academy of the Philippines’ training for officials from 10 LGUs to build AI prototypes, while Cebu City has gone further with an AI-enabled action center for citizen complaints. Connectivity is part of the offer here, since staff in an island province need reliable internet before AI tools are useful. Having a data protection officer involved also matters, because using AI to transcribe meetings or handle records raises questions under the Data Privacy Act about what information goes into outside tools.

What to watch is which tasks Palawan offices actually automate, whether the province sets written rules on what data staff may enter into AI tools, and whether the training expands beyond this first group.