Marcos Signs Order Creating National AI Council and Risk-Based AI Framework

The order gives the Philippines a single government-wide structure for AI policy for the first time. It does not set up a new regulator. Instead, it makes the framework the national guide for policy-making, regulatory coordination, building institutions and developing skills, and creates an inter-agency council to coordinate and monitor that work across departments. None of the published accounts describe new obligations or penalties for private companies.

Castro said the aim was to give AI development and use in the country a unified direction and clear governance. She also said AI development had to bring concrete benefits to workers, businesses, communities and the country as a whole, broadcaster DZRH reported. According to the Philippine News Agency, the framework calls for AI to be deployed responsibly, safely and ethically, with safeguards to maintain public trust.

The Executive Secretary will chair the council and the Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) will serve as vice chair, according to details of the order reported by Philippine outlet Astig.ph. The other members are the secretaries of information and communications technology, science and technology, trade and industry, finance, education, labor and employment, and budget and management, along with the chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education and the director general of TESDA, the technical skills agency. The President will appoint one private-sector representative from nominees put forward by business groups, for a three-year term that can be renewed. DEPDev will act as secretariat.

According to the same report, the framework has four parts: ethics and principles, standards and assurance, a risk-based policy toolkit, and enabling resources. The principles it lists include transparency, explainability, safety, accountability, fairness and sustainable development. It calls for technical standards, testing and conformity assessments, with the level of oversight matched to the risk of each application.

Reporting is written into the order. The Department of Information and Communications Technology has to build and run a digital platform where agencies update their deliverables and progress each quarter. The council must then report to the President within 30 days of the end of each quarter. The framework is to be reviewed at least every two years, or sooner if changes in technology, regulation or markets call for it. Technical working groups will cover institutions, data, research and development, capabilities, infrastructure and demand generation.

The order builds on the National AI Strategy the government approved in May 2025. The published accounts of the Palace briefing gave no budget for the council, so it is not yet clear how its work or the monitoring platform will be paid for.

The order takes effect once it is published in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. The President has yet to name the council's private-sector member.