National Archives of the Philippines

The National Archives of the Philippines serves as the official repository for the records produced by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Philippine government. Its primary mandate is to preserve, manage and provide access to the nation’s documentary heritage, ensuring that governmental actions and historical events are recorded for future reference. The agency acquires, organises and conserves a wide variety of materials, including presidential papers, legislative enactments, judicial decisions, administrative issuances and historic photographs, spanning from the Spanish colonial era to the present day. In addition to maintaining physical collections, the National Archives oversees digitisation projects that convert selected holdings into electronic formats, thereby facilitating broader public access through online portals. Reference services are offered to researchers, scholars, legal professionals and members of the public who require primary source material for academic, legal or personal inquiry. The institution also issues certified copies of records, which are often needed for administrative, judicial or commercial purposes. By safeguarding the integrity of records through appropriate storage, conservation and disaster preparedness measures, the Archives supports governmental transparency and accountability. Its operations are guided by national legislation and regulations concerning records management and cultural heritage preservation. The National Archives reports to the governmental body responsible for cultural affairs, reflecting its status as a key component of the Philippines’ public infrastructure.

In July 2016 the National Archives was affected by a coordinated distributed denial‑of‑service campaign that targeted numerous Philippine government websites, disrupting its online services and limiting public access to its digital resources. The attack was part of a wider incident that impacted sixty‑eight government portals, including those of national defence agencies, local government units and medical centres, causing temporary service outages across multiple sectors. After the initial DDoS barrage, two of the compromised portals were defaced with messages that were attributed to the Chinese government, although investigators were unable to definitively confirm the source of the attacks. Philippine officials observed that the timing of the cyber assault coincided with an international tribunal ruling that favoured the Philippines in a maritime territorial dispute with China, leading to speculation about possible state‑sponsored involvement. The episode underscored the susceptibility of government digital infrastructure to coordinated cyber threats and prompted a reassessment of cybersecurity policies and defensive measures throughout the public sector. Consequently, the National Archives, along with other affected agencies, undertook reviews of its network protections and incident response capabilities to better safeguard its services against future disruptions.