A new era of digital leadership is taking shape in the Philippines.
We together with the Philippine Civil Service Commission (PCSC), and the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation (PCORP) celebrated the formal sealing of a major agreement on 24 April 2025, aimed at upskilling digital leadership capabilities across the Philippine civil service.
Under this agreement, NUS-ISS will conduct the Philippines Civil Service’s Digital Leadership Programme (DLP) in partnership with PCORP and PCSC through the country’s Civil Service Institute (CSI).
This defining moment was marked by the presentation of the signed Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Malacañang Palace in Manila by our CEO Mr Khoong Chan Meng; Attorney Marilyn Barua-Yap, Chairperson of PCSC; and Mr Alfredo Ayala, Chairperson of PCORP. It signifies the government's strong commitment to modernising the public sector.
From L to R: Mr Ramon L. Jocson, Chairman, BankWare Asia; Mr Sabin Aboitiz, Strategic Convenor, PSAC; Mr James Chan, Senior Director of Programmes, Temasek Foundation; Mr Joey Concepcion, Jobs Lead, PSAC; Mr Alfredo Ayala, Chairperson, PCORP; President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.; Atty. Marilyn Barua-Yap, Chairperson, PCSC; Ms Tessie Sy Coson, Education & Jobs Principal, PSAC; Mr Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Chair, Ayala Foundation; Ms Myla Villaneuva, Digital Lead, PSAC; Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore
President Marcos spoke before a distinguished audience comprising Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS; Attorney Judith Dongallo-Chicano, Assistant Commissioner of PCSC; Mr Ramon Jocson, Proponent of PSAC; and other senior government and industry leaders. His address captured the essence of the collaboration’s mission and the future it seeks to achieve.
"This collaboration brings us closer to realising our shared aspirations of building a modernised public sector workforce. It is an opportunity now for us to rethink, to innovate, and to serve our people better through technology. A very important aspect in the digital age. With this, we see a renewed success in all that we do in government, and in our service to the public."
Initially piloted with support from Temasek Foundation, the Ayala Group, and the SM Group, the DLP will be rolled out in two key phases:
Phase 1: Two pilot sessions in Singapore, where participants will undergo an intensive three-day learning journey. Key focus areas include digital leadership in government, citizen-centric innovation, and data-driven decision-making.
Phase 2: Licensing of the programme content to PCSC and conducting Train-the-Trainer sessions, equipping trainers from PCSC, government agencies and private academic partners to deliver the curriculum nationwide.
Recognising the pivotal role of digital leadership in public sector transformation and to enhance government service delivery, NUS-ISS, PCSC, and PCORP have committed to leverage their respective strengths and resources to design and implement the Philippine Civil Service DLP.
Sharing his enthusiasm to the next phase of this meaningful partnership, Mr Khoong Chan Meng, CEO of NUS-ISS, said, “NUS-ISS brings deep expertise and extensive experience in empowering civil servants with the digital capabilities essential for driving public sector transformation. Through this strategic partnership, we will support the Philippine government in cultivating a strong pipeline of digital-ready leaders. Our outcome-driven training programmes and hands-on workshops will provide civil service leaders with the critical knowledge, practical tools, and forward-thinking strategies needed to accelerate innovation and embed digital excellence across government agencies for lasting impact.”
Riding the wave of excitement from the ceremonial event, momentum continued seamlessly into the next day with the National Digitalisation Forum. Held at the Civil Service Commission Headquarters in Quezon City, the forum was organised with the aim for public and private sector leaders to share detailed strategies, exchanges perspectives and reaffirm their commitment towards the initiative.
With more than 300 participants from the government agencies, the private sector, and academia, the forum opened with a welcome address from Attorney Marilyn Barua-Yap, Chairperson, PCSC. Moderated by Ms Noreen Boots Gocon-Gragasin, Director, Integrated Records Management Office, PCSC, the respective leaders Mr Khoong Chan Meng, CEO, NUS-ISS; Attorney Luis Meinrado Pangulayan, Commissioner, Philippine Civil Service Commission; Ms. Bettina Quimson, Project Lead, Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation and Ms Rhea-Luz Valbuena, Executive Director, Asia Pacific College deep-dived into their views regarding "The Role of Digital Leadership in Public Sector Transformation" that greatly inspired the participants with fresh perspectives on what it means to lead in the digital age.
The forum ended on a high note with the official launch of the DLP. As Attorney Luis Meinrado Pañgulayan, Commissioner, Philippine Civil Service Commission put it "This is our direct response to the call for a future-ready government, where our leaders are not only equipped with technical know-how, but also possess the vision, confidence and ability to navigate change."
During Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's visit to The Philippines from 4 - 5 June 2025, he and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the strong collaboration between both countries.
In The Straits Times front page coverage of the visit, NUS-ISS was highlighted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for our partnership with the Philippine Civil Service Commission and our digital leadership programme, lauded as a key example of cooperation between Singapore and the Philippines.
Read the article here - https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/singapore-and-the-philippines-to-expand-collaboration-in-renewable-energy-sustainability-and
The ceremonial event is available to watch via live streaming - https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CFuqVXbTn/