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On its candidature, the Philippines, represented by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), commenced its campaign at the 2022 Session of the Council of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) held at Geneva, Switzerland.

ITU is the United Nations’ (UN) specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICT). Since its first election, the Philippines became a consistent member of the ITU Council for Asia and Australasia (Region E) for four terms and was met with high regard as it supported key initiatives and engagements of the administration with the Union.

In its most recent term (2019-2022), the Philippines greatly benefitted from ITU’s expert assistance in its effort on the selection of the new major player in the public telecommunications market.

Philippine Councillor to the ITU, Undersecretary Alan A. Silor, participated in the session’s proceedings and met with key officials and delegations of other member states of the ITU to further promote the country’s candidature for the advancement of the domestic, regional and global telecommunications industry.

The Philippine delegation also met with ITU Secretary General Mr. Houlin Zhao, the Union’s Deputies, as well as its Bureau Directors to discuss plans and programs to maximize the opportunities in the implementation of the country’s digital governance strategies under the Connect – Harness – Innovate – Protect (CHIP) Framework.

The ITU Council concluded on 31st of March, with key resolutions to be endorsed and discussed during the Plenipotentiary (PP) Conference on September 2022 at Bucharest, Romania, where the bid shall be decided by means of election. Public telecommunications entities (PTE) also extended their support to the campaign.

23 March 2022, Geneva – ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao with the Philippine Head of Delegation, Undersecretary Alan A. Silor, in a casual conversation about the Philippines’ vision of a Digital Philippines.
 21 March 2022, Geneva – 2022 Session of the ITU Council Group Photo. The first physical ITU conference after almost 18 months due to the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
 23 March 2022, Geneva – The Philippine Delegation represented by officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) with Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative to the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations (middle).
24 March 2022, Geneva – Philippine Head of Delegation and Councillor to the ITU, Undersecretary Alan A. Silor hands over a token of appreciation to the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), Doreen Bogdan-Martin following the Philippines’ courtesy visit
24 March 2022, Geneva – Philippine Head of Delegation, Undersecretary Alan A. Silor delivers interventions at the Council Meeting.
24 March 2022, Geneva – Philippine Alternate Head of Delegation, OIC Director Gemma Baysic, actively participates in the Administration and Management Committee Meetings during the 2022 Session of the ITU Council.