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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bill of rights law needed as Philippines moves deeper into AI sphere

Bill of rights law needed as Philippines moves deeper into AI sphere

Published Jan 17, 2026 01:12 pm

At A Glance

  • Camarines Sur-based solons said Congress must back President Marcos' call for the country to optimize the use of artificial intelligence (AI) while protecting Filipinos against the high risks that come with this rapidly evolving technology.
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)


Camarines Sur-based solons said Congress must back President Marcos’ call for the country to optimize the use of artificial intelligence (AI) while protecting Filipinos against the high risks that come with this rapidly evolving technology.
According to Rep. Migz Villafuerte (5th district) and Rep. Luigi Villafuerte (2nd district), lawmakers can best support the National AI Strategy for the Philippines (NAIS)--which the President approved last year--by passing the proposed AI Bill of Rights to ensure the “always accessible yet responsible and ethical” integration of this innovation into public services across the pillars of government, technology, data and infrastructure.
Rep. Migz, chairman of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, said, "Congress needs to legislate a set of rules and regulations on AI control as this disruptive technology has been linked to the proliferation of deepfakes or AI fakery aimed at manipulating and deceiving the public, which can have serious political and social implications.”
Given the harm that the misuse of AI poses to public welfare, Rep. Luigi noted that “The DOST (Department of Science and Technology) last year drew up the NAIS-PH, and which the President subsequently approved, to guide the country on developing, deploying and regulating AI in the country until 2028.”
The deputy majority leader recalled that the President approved the NAIS-PH during a Sectoral Meeting at Malacañang in May 2025 to set the way for an AI-driven future for the Philippines.
The two Villafuertes along with Camarines Sur 1st district Rep. Tsuyoshi Horibata and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon filed in the current 20th Congress House Bill (HB) No. 2827, which embodies a proposed bill of rights on AI.
This bill of rights includes and substantiates every Filipino’s right to protection from unsafe and nieffective Al systems, right against algorithmic discrimination, right to privacy, right to know, right to remedy, and right to appeal or contest Al's impacts.
The solons' appeal for their collleagues to support President Marcos' call came amid Filipinos slow but sure adoption of AI in their daily lives.
They said the Philippines' AI readiness and preparedness rose from no. 65 out of 188 countries in 2023 to no. 56 last year based on the Government AI Readiness Index of the United Kingdom (UK)-based consultancy firm Oxford Insights
Citing data from online platform Statista and social media expert We Are Social–Meltwater, the advocacy group Citizen Watch Philippines said that the Philippines is no. 6  in global ChatGPT usage, with about 46 percent of Internet users engaging with this AI platform. This is higher than the global average of 26 percent.
Citizen Watch said that in its 2025 State of Higher Education report, education tech firm Instructure Holdings, Inc. revealed that 63 percent of Filipino students use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools in writing, translating and researching.
In a media forum in November 2025, senior partner and Philippine country head Marco de la Rosa of management consultant Kearney said that companies in the Philippines need to accelerate the integration of AI in their businesses and invest more in this technology in order to unlock potential gains of 8 percent to 12 percent in national economic output by 2030.
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