As we usher in the new year, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) have renewed efforts to finalize the transfer of the gov.ph domain from DOST-ASTI to DICT.

Starting 03 February 2020, DICT will finally take over the reins in maintaining the .gov.ph domain. This means that by said date, DICT will handle all requests on the registration, modification and deactivation of .gov.ph domains. DOST-ASTI will entertain the Domain Name System (DNS) until 31 January 2020 only.

Since 2001, DOST-ASTI has handled the registration, modification, and deactivation of subdomains under .gov.ph. On the other hand, the Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO), now DICT, has been hosting government websites since 2013 under the auspices of Administrative Order 39. This setup can be challenging from a client’s perspective as one needs to coordinate with two government agencies just to put up a website. To address this, last 05 November 2018, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between DOST-ASTI and DICT, officially transferring the responsibilities of the .gov.ph domain administration to the latter.

A DNS is considered as the phonebook of the Internet; it translates host names, like www.gov.ph, into IP addresses, like 202.90.154.190. Remembering a host name is certainly far easier than remembering a bunch of numbers.

With regards to the rules on .gov.ph administration, the existing Philippine Government Domain Names Policy shall remain enforced.

For further details on how to acquire a domain under .gov.ph, clients are advised to visit the Domain Registry Website at www.dns.gov.ph or contact the Department of Information and Communications Technology via email (dns@dict.gov.ph) or phone (+63 2 8920 0101).