RA 12254 (the E-Governance Act) requires every Philippine LGU to run a digital citizen-service portal — and under Section 9(b) you may either build your own system or adopt the DICT eLGU. The deadline is one year from effectivity — roughly late September to October 1, 2026. Miss it and you must adopt the DICT eLGU. The IRR took effect ~9 April 2026 and adds the LGDSS standard plus a two-year interoperability target. Nova Gov helps an LGU stand up its own compliant portal under the Section 9(b) own-system option. (Nova Gov is not the official DICT eLGU and is not DICT-certified or endorsed.)
eLGU compliance means meeting the local-government obligations of Republic Act 12254, the E-Governance Act. The law requires LGUs to deliver core frontline services online, accept cashless payments, and connect to the national digital-governance ecosystem — either by adopting DICT's eLGU system or by establishing their own interoperable citizen-service portal within one year of the Act taking effect.
Section 9 of RA 12254 is the eLGU mandate. It obliges every LGU to digitalize its frontline services and connect to the national e-governance ecosystem. Concretely, your LGU must:
RA 12254 was signed September 5, 2025 and published September 11, 2025. Under Section 41 it took effect 15 days after publication — around late September 2025 (some sources cite October 1, 2025). Section 9(b) gives LGUs one (1) year from effectivity to establish their own system, which puts the practical LGU deadline at roughly late September to October 1, 2026. Section 32 likewise sets a one-year government-wide transition.
Separately, the IRR commenced on 9 April 2026 (15 days after its March 2026 publication) and triggers its own phased deadlines — for example, 90 days for the E-Government Master Plan, the LGDSS and an LGU digital service system within one year, and full interoperability plus the Once-Only principle within two years.
Stand up an LGU-branded citizen-service portal with your own workflows and citizen experience. Gives you control, but it must be interoperable and connected by DICT to the national ecosystem — it is not compliant automatically. This is the path Nova Gov is built for.
The DICT eLGU System is the standardized, government-provided platform (built with DILG and ARTA under EBOSS, paired with eGOVPay). DICT supplies the software and infrastructure free to unserved/underserved municipalities. LGUs that do not establish their own system in time must adopt it.
The Electronic Local Government Unit (eLGU) System is DICT's standardized, citizen-facing digital platform for LGUs, built with DILG and ARTA under the EBOSS (Electronic Business One-Stop Shop) program. It digitalizes core local services — business permit licensing, real property tax, barangay clearances, building/working permits, community tax certificates, occupational and health certificates, and civil registry requests — and is paired with eGOVPay, a cashless gateway integrated with banks and e-wallets. As of late 2024–2025, DICT reported roughly 838 of about 1,642 LGUs digitized or connected. DICT also must connect LGUs that already run their own portals.
Nova Gov is designed for LGUs that want to take the own-system route under Section 9(b) without building a portal from scratch. The platform is built to give an LGU the pieces RA 12254 asks for in one place:
Because the own-system option is only open to LGUs that act before the one-year deadline, the practical window to choose your own portal — rather than defaulting to the DICT eLGU — is closing through 2026. If your LGU wants control over its citizen experience, this is the time to start.
Talk through your LGU's options under RA 12254 — own portal vs DICT eLGU, the deadline, and what an interoperable Section 9(b) portal looks like for your municipality or city. Nova Gov is in its pilot program now.
Join the pilot program Book a consultationUnder Section 9, every LGU must run a digital citizen-service portal — either its own system or the DICT eLGU — that digitalizes core frontline services (business permits / EBOSS, real property tax, civil registry and related certificates), accepts cashless payments, and meets the LGDSS once published.
One year from the Act's effectivity. RA 12254 was signed Sept 5, 2025 and published Sept 11, 2025; it took effect 15 days later (~late Sep 2025, some sources cite Oct 1, 2025). That puts the LGU deadline at roughly late September to October 1, 2026. Miss it and you must adopt the DICT eLGU.
You can do either. Section 9(b) lets an LGU establish its own portal OR adopt DICT's free eLGU. The own-system route gives you control, but the portal must be interoperable and connected by DICT — it is not compliant automatically.
Yes. DICT signed the IRR on March 24, 2026; it was published and commenced in early April 2026 (sources cite 9 April 2026). It adds phased deadlines including the LGDSS within one year and full interoperability / Once-Only within two years.
LGUs that miss the one-year window are mandated to adopt the DICT eLGU system, which DICT provides free to unserved and underserved municipalities. The own-branded portal option is only available if you act before the deadline.
Business permit licensing (BPLS / e-BPLS under EBOSS), real property tax, barangay clearances, building/working permits, community tax certificates, occupational and health certificates, and local civil registry requests — paired with a cashless payment channel like eGOVPay.
The Local Government Digital Service Standard is the baseline DICT and DILG will publish for LGU digital services (design, accessibility, security, interoperability). Under the IRR it is to be issued within one year of the IRR's effectivity, and LGU systems are expected to conform to it.
It is a strong head start, but an existing portal is not automatically compliant. RA 12254 requires that LGU systems be interoperable and connected by DICT to the national eLGU ecosystem. DICT must connect LGUs that already run their own portals — once those portals meet the interoperability and standard requirements.
eGOVPay is DICT's cashless gateway, integrated with banks and e-wallets. RA 12254 requires a compliant cashless payment channel whether you adopt eLGU or build your own — eGOVPay or an equivalent integrated channel satisfies it.
DICT leads (with DILG and ARTA). Nova Gov (NovaGovAI by Zentarai Labs) is not the official DICT eLGU and is not government-certified or endorsed — it is an independent path that helps an LGU build its own Section 9(b) portal. It is currently pre-pilot.
No. RA 12254 is digital governance only. CLUPs and zoning are a separate pillar under RA 7160, EO 72, RA 11201, and DHSUD guidelines. See our CLUP compliance page for that workflow.
RA 12254 full text (LawPhil) · DICT eLGU / eGOVPay announcements (dict.gov.ph, PIA) · 2026 IRR of RA 12254 (PCO & Official Gazette) · Marcos signs E-Governance Act (Manila Bulletin, Sept 11, 2025). This page is informational and reflects publicly reported facts as of June 2026; it is not legal advice. Confirm exact compliance dates against the official IRR and DICT issuances for your LGU.