By Sainul
Copyright e27
Filipino serial entrepreneur Jason Torres, backed by a consortium of industry tech and startup veterans, has launched BetterGov.ph, a volunteer-led civic technology initiative to confront the significant transparency and efficiency challenges within Philippine governance.
The platform, which went live on 19 September alongside collaborators Christian Blanquera, Christopher Star, and four other partners, is positioned not merely as a project builder but as a crucial consolidator for the rapidly growing Southeast Asian civic tech movement.
The initiative’s primary goal is to leverage open-source methods and grassroots engagement to make government services more transparent, efficient, and accessible to citizens.
BetterGov seeks to support, promote, and empower other builders who have launched “wonderful and impressive tech ideas”.
The frustration driving civic tech
The conceptualisation of BetterGov emerged from deep professional frustration regarding the state of fundamental digital infrastructure. Torres– who has built multiple companies, including Mashup Garage, Slerp, and Producloud–disclosed that the initiative began as a “silly idea” around June 2025, sparked by exasperation when browsing core government websites, such as gov.ph, which he estimated may have been last updated a decade ago and remains “full of dead links”.
A major datapoint underpinning the urgency of the initiative is the issue of accessibility for the Filipino diaspora. Torres noted that based on his own experience, almost 75 per cent of Philippine government websites are not accessible overseas.
This perceived digital neglect has spurred the founder, who identifies as a professional capable of making “a better version of these websites,” to commit personally to investing time, resources, and money into the movement. The initial vision has quickly evolved into playing a “bigger role,” offering a powerful outlet for “creative projects with an impact”.
Operationalising support: Infrastructure and mentorship
BetterGov is committed to providing essential operational support typically difficult to secure for volunteer-led efforts to ensure that nascent civic tech projects can scale effectively.
The resources offered to support partner initiatives and builders include:
Infrastructure, servers, AI credits, tools, and more.
Data and API endpoints.
Help identifying suitable resource persons and finding a dedicated tech team.
Organising focused tech hackathons.
Mentorship from industry veterans.
Access to physical office space.
The team has expressed openness to integrating more ideas and seeking out collaborators who are “smarter than us”.
A relentless, open-source commitment
Torres has adopted a posture of relentless building, stating he will continue developing “without anyone’s permission.” His output is strictly focused on “Open source, public, high-quality sites.”
While acknowledging the deep-seated anger surrounding public service failures, the initiative is framed as a constructive path forward, asserting: “We can contribute in our own ways no matter how little it is. We can do amazing things together, grassroots style, open source.”
The overarching commitment driving BetterGov.ph is the belief that “We Filipinos deserve better”. Collaboration is actively encouraged, and a dedicated Discord channel has been established to facilitate joint efforts.
