The term Digital Public Goods (DPG) is not yet a widely used term in the Philippines. As can be seen in the DPGA registry, only one Philippine made technology has been recognized at the registry. For this starter toolkit, we will be widely using the term Open Source Technology (OST) and will discuss later how OSTs can be transformed to become DPGs. The Philippines has been using DPGs and OSTs since the 1990s, however there are still gaps and challenges in the full adoption of these technologies. We will present in this work actionable recommendations on how an OST can be developed into DPGs and how these technologies can be deployed and scaled up nationally.
The Philippines has been exposed to Open Source Technologies (OST) since the early 1990s with the academe and government leading the way in the adoption of OST. The University of the Philippines became one of the first universities in the Philippines to adopt Linux based operating systems as one of the main operating systems used in their computer laboratories. The University has also partnered with Open Source providers to provide trainings and capacity building with their faculty members.
The Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on the other hand, is the lead agency when it comes to government use, adoption and innovation of open source software. ASTI lead in the development of the Bayanihan Operating System which was a Filipino made operating system based from Linux. Another hub when it comes to the use of OSTs is the UP Manila National Telehealth Center (NTHC). The NTHC developed and deployed the first Electronic Medical Record system in the Philippines (CHITS) which is based on the Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS).
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Philippine Government, though various initiatives utilized OSTs. The FASSSTER data dashboard used the HAPI FHIR Server as its data warehouse. The HAPI FHIR server is an open source FHIR server that can be used for interoperability and data warehousing. The COVID Kaya which is the main COVID-19 information system was developed using DHIS2.
Currently, the Philippine Government is using the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) as the main platform for the Philippine National Identification System (PhilSYS). MOSIP is an open source foundational identification system.
While the Philippine government is one of the early adopters of OSTs. There are limited government policies indicating the use of OSTs nationally. Early on, there is a government policy (cite) that provides preferential treatment to use of OSTs in government offices, however, this has not been pursued as there were challenges in the adoption of OSTs in government projects and offices (https://pczuniga.notion.site/Challenges-84cf6d0733df4af6b3ffdcaa06917096)
Despite these, several efforts have been done and implemented to mainstream the use of OSTs nationally, particularly in government use.
In 2007, Representative Teodoro Casino filed HB 5769 (An Act Promoting the Development and Use of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) in the Philippines, and thereby amending RA 3019 or the Intellectual Property Act). The main features of the act are:
The said bill, mandates government to consider FOSS in government procurements and avoid vendor lock-in and dependence. In terms of licensing, the FOSS bill requires that all derivatives, modifications and customization done by government shall remain with government, provided that these modifications are not to be used for commercial services.
The bill also requires that RA 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines) be amended to include the following item:
ANY STANDARD, PROTOCOL, SPECIFICATION, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM/SOFTWARE, WHICH IS GENERALLY KNOWN AS FREE/OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE OR FORM PART OF EXISTING OPEN STANDARDS, OR ANY OF THEIR DERIVATIVES.
in the list of items that are non-patentable as listed in Section 22 of the said code