Henry Aguda has resigned as Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), with the department thanking him for his leadership in a LinkedIn post.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed on 11 October that he had accepted the resignation, saying the Palace had held off on announcing it until it found a replacement, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla had disclosed the resignation a day earlier on a DZRH radio programme.
That came three days after Aguda said he remained in the post.
Discord Ban and Free Wi-Fi Probe
Aguda’s exit follows criticism of DICT’s temporary blocking of Discord in September, which was lifted in less than 24 hours.
It also comes amid an Ombudsman investigation into alleged irregularities in the government’s Free Wi-Fi programme, The Manila Times reported.
Neither Marcos nor Aguda has said whether these issues led to the resignation.
In a statement, Aguda thanked Marcos and DICT employees and said he was committed to a smooth transition so that the department’s ongoing digital initiatives continue without disruption, as Manila Bulletin noted.
Nineteen Months in Office
Marcos appointed Aguda in March 2025, succeeding Ivan Uy. He previously led UnionDigital Bank as President and CEO and served as chief technology officer at Globe Telecom.
In its post, the DICT credited him with expanding digital connectivity, raising cybersecurity and data privacy awareness, speeding up government digitalisation and promoting AI in public services.
No Successor Named Yet
As of 12 October, Marcos had not named a successor, and the DICT had not disclosed an officer-in-charge, BusinessWorld reported.
According to the Daily Tribune, three names are being discussed as possible replacements.
They are DICT Undersecretary for e-Government David Almirol Jr. and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Executive Director Alexander Paraiso.
The third is former presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, a co-founder of fintech firm PayMongo.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Philippines based on images by artkids via Magnific and the Department of Information and Communications Technology via Wikimedia Commons.
