Philippines DICT Chief Stays At Work Amid Resignation Report
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said he remains focused on the department’s work after a report claimed he had resigned or been forced to resign, while platform-safety and public Wi-Fi issues remain active.
Back End News reported that DICT Secretary Henry Aguda remains at work after a separate report said he had submitted, or been forced to submit, a resignation from the Philippine technology department.
Aguda's public response did not confirm whether a resignation letter existed.
He said he remained focused on his responsibilities and on continuity at the Department of Information and Communications Technology, leaving the personnel question unresolved while the agency handles several regulatory and procurement issues.
The resignation account came from Newsbytes.PH on Oct. 7 and cited industry sources.
It said First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos had asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to remove Aguda.
The official statement answered the immediate question of whether he was still functioning as secretary, but it did not directly address the reported request or the reported submission of a resignation.
The dispute lands during a wider period of scrutiny for DICT.
In August, GMA News covered Aguda's position that blocking Facebook would be a last resort for protecting users, especially children, from harmful content and online abuse.
His preferred response was stronger identity checks and faster removal of harmful posts and videos.
A month later, Philstar.com covered warnings from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to Discord and Reddit.
Access could be blocked unless the platforms appointed local representatives and responded to child-safety concerns, including abuse risks and online communities pushing minors toward violent acts.
DICT is also facing questions over free Wi-Fi projects.
Philstar.com reported that the Ombudsman was examining alleged ghost internet sites, where routers had reportedly been installed but working connectivity may not have been delivered even though the government paid for services.
Investigators had not assigned responsibility.
DICT welcomed the inquiry, and Aguda ordered a tighter review of provider performance and actual site connectivity.
That leaves the current position clear but the underlying governance issues still active: Aguda remains in post while platform-safety warnings and public Wi-Fi delivery checks continue.
