MANY Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country have low to moderate scores in Artificial Intelligence technology adoption.
These are among the findings in the study titled “How Ready Are LGUs for AI Adoption,” published by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies.
“The 30-35 is the total index score for most of the LGUs, and if we are going to look at where they are, it is low; there are some that are close to moderate, so maybe low to close to moderate performance on average for most of the LGUs,” says Dr. Francis Mark Quimba, Senior Research Fellow Philippine Institute of Development Studies and who co-authored the study alongside Christopher Ed C. Caboverde, and Alliah Mae C. Salazar.
The studies show many scoring low (30 to 35 out of a possible 100) and a few inching towards moderate scores (40 to 60 out of a possible 100).
Quimba presented this as part of the discussions in the recently held ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau (ILCDB) Partners Summit: AI Bayanihan in Davao City.
The study identified 1,695 LGUs serving as the frontline of public service delivery under the Philippine Development Plan.
Quimba says there are insights gained from the study; the first is that no LGU is starting from zero.
“If we look at the data, most of the LGUs may have a stable network, or they are trying to digitalize their service, or they are trying to do some basic e-commerce. There is actually a plan for the use of ICT, use of e-commerce, or digitalizing some services, so no LGU is actually starting from zero,” Quimba said.
He added that with the Mandanas doctrine ruling, where more resources would be allocated to LGUs, there would be more funding that could be available for these digital initiatives.
The researcher said the problem is that there is a small group of LGUs that are better prepared than almost all other LGUs.
Quimba says he sees this as a digital divide among LGUs, which will soon become an AI divide.
“If this pattern keeps on going, there is this small group of LGUs substantially much much better prepared; there’s going to be an AI divide where certain LGUs are functioning much better, providing better services than the rest,” Quimba said.
Bottlenecks
Key bottlenecks identified in the study include a shortage of ICT (Information communication technology) and AI-related skills, limited last-mile internet connectivity (internet connectivity in barangays), and limited funds and resources for AI initiatives.
In the study, they interviewed four LGU officials of first-class municipalities. The interviewees confirmed that their LGUs have no short-term AI adoption plans despite having better fiscal and institutional resources.
They identified resource prioritization as a factor in the level of investments in technology, balancing it with social service needs that have clearer political returns.
Also skills gaps among the LGU workforce show that employees understood AI through social media rather than institutional capability building.
Some insights from the study reveal that the absence of clear policy frameworks on procurement, data management, and cybersecurity creates operational uncertainty that delays AI initiatives even when resources exist.
According to the study, successful AI deployment requires addressing not only technical and fiscal prerequisites but also political dynamics, organizational cultures, and policy frameworks.
ICT specialists to the LGUs
One of the recommendations in the study is the deployment of ICT specialists to LGUs, which Quimba said is akin to the “doctors to the barrios” program of the DOH.
“A nationally-funded, competitively paid one specialist in a municipality and component city within three years, prioritizing the fourth and sixth class municipalities. If we build knowledge there, we build capacity; aalis ka iiwan mo doon (then leave if you built that capacity)” Quimba said.
He said this is important as it would build capacity in the LGU through the ICT specialists.
Other recommendations include making digital skills planning mandatory, addressing last-mile connectivity, establishing industry-recognized AI certification, setting a minimum ICT budget allocation, and unifying the national AI strategy, with clear institutional leadership, a risk-based regulatory framework, and a data governance framework. PIA DAVAO
