Stratbase Urges Mandatory AI Use for Good Governance Under E-Gov Act

Stratbase ADR Institute president Victor Manhit called on Philippine agencies to treat artificial intelligence as a mandatory instrument for good governance under the E-Governance Act, Philstar Business reported on September 11, 2026. His pitch links AI-assisted audit trails, citizen service routing, and anti-corruption analytics to existing digital-government mandates rather than waiting for a standalone AI statute. The intervention is advocacy from a Manila think tank—not a signed executive order.

Filed under Policy and dated September 13, 2026, this AI4Philippines briefing treats the Stratbase appeal as Philippine public-sector reform news. Mandating AI “for good governance” can accelerate procurement of analytics—but it also risks cargo-cult deployments if agencies lack clean registries, skilled analysts, and clear human appeal paths when models misfire on benefits or permits.

Why it matters: Filipino citizens still navigate slow counter services and uneven LGU digitization. Thoughtful automation can shorten queues—if identity systems, privacy safeguards, and offline alternatives remain intact for people without reliable connectivity.

What it means in practice

Stratbase Urges Mandatory AI Use for Good Governance Under E-Gov Act — contextual photo

Philippine agency leaders should inventory which E-Governance Act obligations could use narrow AI assistance; confirm lawful personal-data processing; assign a transparency owner; run time-boxed pilots on one high-volume service with published error rates; and prefer vendors who allow independent audit of ranking and eligibility logic. Align budgets so training and appeal desks are funded alongside licenses.

Caveats come first. Think-tank urgings are not law; mandatory language can outrun capacity; and AI can amplify biased data already in government files. AI4Philippines therefore presents Manhit’s September 11 call as directional policy context until DICT or Malacañang issues implementing rules.

What to watch next: whether DICT cites Stratbase themes in circulars; pilot metrics from LGUs; and civil-society scrutiny of automated decisions. Readers can continue on the AI4Philippines homepage for related stories, or browse the Newsroom for additional briefings.

Bottom line: treat this update as orientation, not instruction. Philippine AI-for-governance talk is real, contested, and still early. Organizations that benefit most will start with dirty-data cleanup, measure honestly, and keep humans accountable for citizen outcomes.