THE City Government of Davao plans to strengthen local digital governance and protect municipal operations by establishing a centralized data center.
Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, Chairperson of the Committee on Information Technology, highlighted the urgency of a secure, unified digital infrastructure during the 34th Regular Session at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall in Davao City on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. City officials discussed rising cybersecurity risks, fragmented information and communications technology (ICT) systems, and isolated databases across various local government departments.
Under the proposal, the city plans to transition from its current system, comprising 17 to 19 isolated server rooms across departments, to a centralized data center facility.
"The absence of a unified cybersecurity monitoring and incident response structure further exposes the city government to vulnerabilities, including data breaches, ransomware attacks, service disruptions, and unauthorized access to sensitive information," Militar said.
City Information Technology Center (CITC) Acting Network Head Diosdado Lopez assured the council that the proposed facility will streamline operations while enhancing data protection mechanisms. Addressing councilors' concerns regarding scattered data storage, Lopez explained, "...we still have 17 or 19 server rooms, which are siloed, but the Mayor manifested that it would be centralized so that it would be easily managed by our IT personnel."
The CITC clarified that individual departments will not be required to surrender their existing systems completely as the architecture will allow data integration, backups, and secure shared storage.
Addressing safeguards for sensitive records, Lopez said, "Meron tayong tinatawag na (we have what is called) multi-factor authentication, and firewalls are in place doon sa ating (within our) system or network, noting that security software is also installed directly on individual computers and central servers to defend against malware and unauthorized access.
The ordinance mandates strict adherence to safety and incident response protocols, requiring immediate reporting, containment procedures, and breach notification mechanisms during cyber incidents. Furthermore, the facility’s operations will comply with Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and Republic Act No. 9470 (National Archives of the Philippines Act of 2007).kp1
The executive department will finalize the specific location and funding for the disaster-resilient facility, with recommendations to avoid flood, liquefaction, and tsunami-prone areas to ensure uninterrupted operations during emergencies. GRS
