The University of the Philippines (UP) has become the first educational institution in the country authorized to operate as a registration authority under the government’s national digital security framework, officials announced.

Granted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the designation integrates the university system into the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure (PNPKI).

It allows UP to directly verify identities and enroll its community members for government-recognized digital certificates.

The PNPKI digital certificates support secure electronic signatures and authenticated online transactions. The university expects the system to reduce processing delays, strengthen accountability and streamline remote document approvals, inter-campus administrative processing, and paperless transactions across its geographically dispersed campuses.

“Real public service in the digital age depends not only on access, but on trusted authentication,” said Peter A. Sy, UP vice president for digital transformation.