Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, head of the technical working group (TWG) on artificial intelligence (AI) under the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, presented a comprehensive 24-month legislative roadmap to transition the Philippines from “AI-ready” to “AI-powered”, during the State of the Nation in AI (SONAI) 2026 Jan. 30.
The roadmap directly addresses the “Pilot Trap”, a persistent pattern where AI projects stall at the prototype stage due to fragmented data, infrastructure gaps, regulatory uncertainty, procurement paralysis, and talent shortages, Benitez said in a statement.
To resolve these bottlenecks, the roadmap outlines four critical pillars of the “Unblocker” Package designed for full execution by the third quarter of 2026.
Benitez said this strategy begins with enabling standardized and interoperable data sharing through strict privacy safeguards, followed by the scaling of cloud and compute connectivity nationwide, including the establishment of a National AI Computing Center.
Furthermore, the plan institutionalizes regulatory sandboxes to create controlled environments for testing AI products and establishes a comprehensive trust framework to regulate safety and accountability through the AI Governance Framework Act.
Benitez highlighted the significant economic impact of these reforms, noting that AI adoption could add $92 billion to the Philippine Gross Domestic Product by 2030, representing a 12 percent economic boost.
To capture this value, the TWG is consolidating over 20 fragmented bills into the AI Development and Governance Act of 2026, which will feature an AI Bill of Rights to protect citizens from algorithmic discrimination and unsafe systems.
“The era of pilots and endless potential is over. The era of scaled deployment and tangible benefits begins now. This is a nation-building project on par with electrification or universal education,” Benitez said.
The timeline for these key deliverables is set with specific milestones starting in April 2026 with the issuance of interim data-sharing guidelines and the announcement of the AI Sandbox Program.
This will be followed by the passage of the AI Governance Act in the House of Representatives by July 2026, leading to the act being signed into law and the National AI Computing Center becoming fully operational by January 2027.
The roadmap also includes the AI-Ready Workforce 2030 initiative, which aims to integrate AI into K-12 and higher education while upskilling more than 30,000 Filipinos through programs, like Project Sparta. ||
