ICT Office E Mail Policy - Version2 - 2013nov26

Department of Science and Technology
Information and
Communications
Technology Office (ICT
Office) E-mail Policy
version 2.0
November 26, 2013

R e pu bl ic o f t he P h ili pp ine s
DEP AR T ME NT O F S C IE N C E A ND TE C H NO L OGY
Information and Communications Advanced Science and
Technology Office (ICT Office) Technology Institute (ASTI)
Version: 2.0
Effective: November 26, 2013
ICT Office E-mail Policy

This Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology
Office (DOST-ICT Office) E-mail Policy prescribes the e-mail policy for compliance of all
ICT Office employees.
Content
Section 1.
General Policy Statement ................................................................ 4
Section 2.
Purpose ..................................................................................... 4
Section 3.
Scope ........................................................................................ 4
Section 4.
Definition of Terms ...................................................................... 5-6
Section 5.
Policy .....................................................................................6-14
Section 6.
Responsibilities of Authorized Users ................................................... 14
Section 7.
Responsibilities of the E-mail Account Administrator and Technical Support
Team .................................................................................... 14-15
Section 8. Technical Support and User Awareness Training ..................................... 15
Section 9. Enforcement............................................................................... 15
Section 10. Policy Review and Evaluation ......................................................... 16
Section 11. ICT Office E-mail Facility Audit ....................................................... 16
Section 12. Related Laws / Policies / Documents ................................................ 16
Section 13. Effectivity ................................................................................ 16
Annex 1 ................................................................................................. 17
Annex 2a ................................................................................................ 18
Annex 2b ................................................................................................ 19
Annex 2c ................................................................................................ 20
Annex 2d ................................................................................................ 21
Annex 3a ............................................................................................ 22-23
Annex 3b ................................................................................................ 24
Annex 4 ................................................................................................. 25
Issuing Authority
This document has been developed and issued by the DOST-ICT Office.
Contact Information
Queries, suggestions and clarifications with regard to this policy may be forwarded to
(e-mailaccountadministrator/personnel)@icto.dost.gov.ph.
Integrated Government Philippines Project

ICT Office
Integrated Tel. nos. (02)Philippines
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
ICT Office Garcia Ave.,
nos. (02)U.P. Diliman,
920-0101 Quezon City
; 928-6105
C.P. Garcia Ave., U.P. Diliman, Quezon City Page 2 of 26
Explanatory Note
Recently, the Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) Project, one of the latest
projects under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that seek to achieve a
higher level of e-governance or the application of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) to rationalize government operations and improve the delivery of goods
and services to the people, has launched its Government-wide E-mail System (GovMail).
The iGovPhil Project aims to provide a secure e-mail service to government agencies using
unique agency names with the gov.ph suffix hosted in a central server for added security.
This government mail or GovMail service will minimize if not eliminate the use of free
web-based E-mail services offered by third party providers, such as Google and Yahoo, for
official communications. It will give government offices and personnel a credible online
identity, especially when communicating with the public.
If approved and implemented, this DOST-ICT Office E-mail Policy, which uses as a guide
the existing GovMail Service Policy, will guide all authorized users and, most importantly,
improve the utilization of the GovMail service.
This policy is also aligned with the following issuances:
 Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 – wherein government agencies are required to re-
engineer their transaction systems and procedures to reduce bureaucratic red tape
and processing time; and
 Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 – which mandates government agencies to
create, file or retain their documents in the form of electronic data message or
electronic message.
Policy Development Team, iGovPhil Project

November 4, 2013
Quezon City

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Section 1. General Policy Statement
The ICT Office E-mail Facility is provided to ICT Office employees and officials
to assist in the operation of the government and deliver effective and efficient
service to the general public.
E-mail has reached a level of importance, from its speed and convenience, that
there is a need to ensure that risks are minimized from either intentional or
unintentional misuse. Hence, the ICT Office has opted to make use of the ICT
Office E-mail Facility for the exchange of information and in other official
communications, in order to ensure the safety and security during e-mail
transactions.
This policy instrument shall ensure that the use of this system does not infringe
on the rights of government employees and citizens, is not used for purposes
prohibited under the laws, rules and regulations of the country, and does not
legally compromise the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.
Section 2. Purpose
The purposes of this e-mail policy are as follows:
2.1 To create an e-mail policy that defines the proper use of the ICT Office
E-mail Facility;
2.2 To promote awareness of the benefits of a paperless communication

system; and
2.3 To provide the basis for appropriate disciplinary action on the prohibited
use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility.
Section 3. Scope
3.1. The provisions of this policy shall apply to all officials and employees of
the ICT Office, as well as other personnel that may be authorized by the
Executive Director of the ICT Office.
3.2. It shall apply to all e-mail communications and exchanges, whether

internal or external, used within or outside the government, as long as the
ICT Office E-mail Facility is used during any stage of the communication or
exchange.
3.3. It shall also apply to the use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility as accessed
through various devices including, but not limited to, access through
computers, tablets, mobile phones and other devices.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Section 4. Definition of Terms
4.1 Account Holder – an ICT Office employee authorized to use the E-mail
Facility.
4.2 Authorized Users – refers to one or more of the following: (1) ICT Office
employees; and (2) individuals authorized by the Executive Director of ICT
Office to use the ICT Office E-mail Facility for a specific purpose and
duration.
4.3 Attachments – textual, graphical or visual or executable files that are

attached on e-mail messages.
4.4 Bulk Mail – an e-mail message sent to a wide list of recipients.
4.5 Chief Information Officer (CIO) – a person responsible for information

systems planning and mapping out of the ICT Office's strategic direction in
ICT governance.
4.6 Counterfeit or Forged e-mail – e-mail account that makes use or may
contain invalid or forged headers, invalid or non-existent domain names or
other names which are deceptive.
4.7 E-mail – refers to the exchange of digital messages through a network and
making use of e-mail software and servers.
4.8 E-mail Account Administrator – a person in charge with the technical

administration of the ICT Office E-mail Facility.
4.9 ICT Office Employees – refers to all current employees of ICT Office whose
appointment may be permanent, casual or contractual in nature.
4.10 Internet – a system of linked computer networks, global in scope, that

facilitates data communication services such as remote log-in, file
transfer, electronic mail and newsgroups. The Internet is a way of
connecting existing computer networks that greatly extends the reach of
each participating system.
4.11 Log-in – an operation that enables the Account Holder to get access to his
Mailbox. It includes the act of typing the authentication information which
consists of the e-mail address and password.
4.12 Log-Out – an operation that terminates access to the ICT Office E-mail
Facility to prevent unauthorized access.
4.13 Mailbox – a function unit that contains stored messages for a specific
Account Holder.
4.14 Password – a character string that is used as authentication to access ICT

Office E-mail Facility.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
4.15 Personnel Head – a person in charge of the human resource management

and development of the ICT Office.
4.16 Spam – electronic junk mail or an unsolicited bulk e-mail received that is
unrelated to work and not otherwise justified.
Section 5. Policy
5.1 Division / Non-Personnel Account
5.1.1.Division or Non-Personnel Accounts shall be provided to divisions,

sections, units, projects and the like shall be used as the means for
communication between the government and the general public as a
channel for first contact.
5.1.2.Heads of divisions, sections, units and projects shall submit a

request for an e-mail account to the ICT Office Chief Information
Officer (ICT Office CIO). Upon approval of the ICT Office CIO, the
account shall be created by the ICT Office E-Mail Account
Administrator.
5.1.3.The e-mail address shall be named in compliance with Section

5.4.2.1.
5.1.4.The Division / Non-Personnel Accounts shall be published in the

government ICT Office website as part of its compliance to Republic
Act 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.
5.2 Employee E-mail Account
5.2.1.Employee E-mail Accounts are to be established to provide individual

employees with means to communicate faster, efficiently and
transparently with other government employees, offices and the
general public for official purposes only.
5.2.2.The ICT Office employees who shall use the ICT Office E-mail Facility
shall be given a copy of this policy document to ensure awareness of
the policies governing the use of the said facility. They shall submit
to the ICT Office Personnel Head a request for the creation of an
Employee E-mail Account.
5.2.3.The e-mail account shall be named pursuant to Section 5.4.2.2.
5.2.4.The ICT Office Personnel Head shall prepare a list of the employees
who have submitted requests for ICT Office E-mail Account, to be
submitted to the ICT Office Chief Information Officer for
confirmation.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
5.2.5.Upon confirmation of the ICT Office Chief Information Officer of the

request, the ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator shall create the
Employee E-mail Account.
5.2.6.The ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator shall provide the

instructions to the employee on how to access the e-mail account. A
copy of this Policy shall be provided to the employee.
5.3 Mailing Lists
5.3.1.Mailing lists or group distribution lists can be created in lieu of

division or non-personnel e-mail accounts. Mailing lists will be used
when soliciting e-mails that need to be distributed and made
accessible to a group of people who need to read the e-mails or are
tasked with answering the e-mails. Mailing lists will not have their
own account inbox.
5.3.2.Division heads, project managers, component team leaders and

employees who need mailing lists shall write a request containing
the purpose of the mailing list, the desired mailing list name and the
e-mail addresses of the employees who shall be included in the
mailing list. The request shall be sent to the ICT Office Chief
Information Officer who shall approve the request and instruct the
creation of the said mailing list to the E-mail Account Administrator.
5.3.3.The mailing list shall follow the naming policy prescribed in Section
5.4.2.1, by analogy.
5.4 E-mail Naming Convention
5.4.1.The Official ICT Office E-mail domain shall be @icto.dost.gov.ph.
5.4.2.The naming convention for Office and Employee Account shall

observe the following rules:
5.4.2.1 The general syntax of the e-mail address shall include the
name of the division / section / unit / project of the ICT
Office followed by the domain @icto.dost.gov.ph.
Component or Division E-mail Address Name

Records records@icto.dost.gov.ph
Internal Planning planning@icto.dost.gov.ph
5.4.2.2 In case of Employee E-mail Account, the general syntax of

the e-mail address shall include the first name or nickname
in which the government employee is professionally known,
followed by a period (.) and the last name of the
government employee, followed by the domain name of the
ICT Office.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Sample Employee Account: juan.delacruz@icto.dost.gov.ph
5.4.3.In case of employees with the same first and last names, the
employee hired first shall follow Section 5.4.2.2. The succeeding
employees will have e-mail addresses selecting from the following
options:
a) Spell out the first name + initial of middle name followed by a

period (.) and the last name, followed by the ICTO domain name
(juanb.delacruz@icto.dost.gov.ph);
b) Initial of the first name + Spell out the middle name followed by
a period (.) and the last name, followed by the ICTO domain
name (jbautista.delacruz@icto.gov.ph); and
c) Initial of the first and middle names followed by a period (.) and
the last name, followed by the ICTO domain name
(jb.delacruz@icto.dost.gov.ph).
5.5 Acceptable Use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility
5.5.1 As a rule, any e-mail sent using the ICT Office E-mail Facility is
permitted for as long as the same is used relative to the
performance of official duties and responsibilities of the government
employee. When using the ICT Office E-mail Facility, the Account
Holders shall act professionally and shall be bound by the provisions
of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and
Employees (R.A. 6713).
5.5.2 All e-mails sent using the ICT Office E-mail Facility which are not
related to the performance of official duties and responsibilities of
the government employee shall fall under Section 5.6, or the
Prohibited Use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility, and may be subject
to administrative and other actions.
5.5.3 Messages sent through the ICT Office E-mail Facility should be
treated as formal business documents. Salutation, spelling, grammar
and punctuations should be appropriate and correct.
5.5.4 The E-mail Account Holders, in creating e-mails, shall observe E-mail
etiquette attached in Annex 4.
5.6 Prohibited Use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility
5.6.1 No e-mail shall be sent through the ICT Office E-mail Facility for
purposes outside of the performance of official duties and
responsibilities. It shall not be used to send out jokes, rumors,
gossips or opinions which are not delivered in the performance of
official duties and responsibilities.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
5.6.2 E-mail Account Holders shall be prohibited from accessing, copying

or deleting the e-mail of another Account Holder without the
consent from the latter.
5.6.3 Account Holders shall not disclose their passwords to other persons,
unless the government ICT Office requires it.
5.6.4 The ICT Office E-mail Facility shall not be used for the creation or
distribution of messages which are disruptive or offensive to other
persons including offensive comments and statements about race,
gender, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, pornography, religious
beliefs and practices, political beliefs or national origin.
5.6.5 The ICT Office E-mail Facility shall not be used for personal or
commercial purposes and for the promotion of business or other
matters outside of the government.
5.6.6 As a rule, sending of bulk mail shall be prohibited unless such bulk
mail is formally solicited. Users should send e-mail messages and
copies thereof only to those with a legitimate need to read the
message.
5.6.7 Attaching files in the e-mail message is discouraged. File

attachments shall be implemented through a file sending service.
See Section 5.10-File Sending Service.
5.6.8 Any document covered by Memorandum Circular No. 78, entitled

“Security of Classified Matter in Government Departments and
Instrumentalities,” issued on August 14, 1964 and amended by
Memorandum Circular 196, shall not be sent using e-mail until
specific guidelines are issued by the National Security Council,
Department of Defense or the Office of the President for it.
5.6.9 The use of materials, procedures, devices or technologies that will

enable unauthorized access to the ICT Office E-mail Facility is
prohibited.
5.6.10 Authorized users are prohibited from using their ICT Office E-mail
Account in registering or joining Social Networking Sites and other
list groups that are personal use in nature.
5.7 Privacy and Monitoring
5.7.1 The contents of the ICT Office E-mail Facility are considered
confidential. To protect the confidentiality of e-mail messages,
HTTPS, IMAP and PKI digital certificates shall be used to encrypt and
secure the connection and the messages sent and received through
the ICT Office E-mail Facility. Digital certificates shall be used in
authenticating users and the e-mail messages. The certificates must
be sourced from the iGovPhil Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
5.7.2 Pursuant to Section 2 of Presidential Decree 1445 (Government

Auditing Code of the Philippines):
“It is the declared policy of the State that all resources

of the government shall be managed, expended or
utilized in accordance with law and regulations, and
safeguard against loss or wastage through illegal or
improper disposition, with a view to ensuring efficiency,
economy and effectiveness in the operations of
government. The responsibility to take care that such
policy is faithfully adhered to rests directly with the
chief or head of the government agency concerned.”
As such, all communication and information sent, received or

archived in the ICT Office E-mail Facility belongs to the government.
It should be understood that in the use of ICT Office E-mail Facility,
the right of the government employee to privacy over messages or
files sent through the ICT Office E-mail Facility is deemed waived.
5.8 E-mail Archiving, Back-up and Retention (delete entire section if

unimplementable)
5.8.1 As defined by the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) General

Circular No. 1 entitled “Rules and Regulations Governing the
Management of Public Records and Archives Administration” issued
on January 20, 2009 and the “Guidelines on the Disposal of Valueless
Records in Government Agencies,” the official communications or
documents sent to the e-mail address of the government employee
shall be forwarded to records@icto.dost.gov.ph for proper archiving
purposes.
5.8.2 The Records Officer of the ICT Office shall specify the guidelines to
be followed in determining the electronic documents which need to
be forwarded or retained for back-up or archiving purposes as
defined by the National Archives of the Philippines.
5.9 Passwords
5.9.1 The Account Holders, when required, must disclose such

passwords if there is any deviation from the agreed terms of use
of the ICT Office E-mail Facility or if the government employee
commits work-related misconduct.
5.9.2 Ten (10) consecutive failed log-in attempts within ten (10)
minutes shall result in an automatic e-mail account lock-out for
thirty (30) minutes.
5.9.3 Passwords used must have a specified minimum length of at least

eight (8) characters.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
5.9.4 The password must be composed of a combination of: a) upper

case letters; b) lower case letters; c) numbers; and d) any of the
following symbols (= ? < > @ # $ * ! ).
5.9.5 The Account Holder shall be responsible for their respective

passwords. It should not be written down, stored or shared with
other persons.
5.9.6 Every six (6) months, the ICT Office E-mail Facility shall send out
an automatic prompt for a password change.
5.10 File Sending Service
5.10.1 For e-mails with attachments exceeding 25 megabytes, the

Account Holder shall use the FileSender, a web based application
that allows authenticated users to securely send large files to
other users. The service may be accessed through
https://pakete.gov.ph.
5.10.2 For files below 25 megabytes, the file may be attached directly to
the e-mail message, but shall constitute a deduction in the e-mail
account's storage space.
5.10.3 The same e-mail account and password is used in accessing the
FileSender.
5.10.4 All files sent using FileSender shall automatically be deleted

within fourteen (14) days.
5.11 Suspension and / or Termination on the use of ICT Office E-mail

Facility
5.11.1 The provision regarding the suspension and / or termination of

the Employee E-mail Account shall be implemented: (1) in cases
of disciplinary action; (2) transfer of the Account Holder from
ICT Office to another government agency or to a private
company; (3) when the government employee retires; or (4)
when the employee is declared dead.
5.11.2 In case of suspension or termination of E-mail Account, the ICT

Office Personnel Head shall prepare a report that the Account
Holder can no longer use the ICT Office E-mail Facility, either
permanently or temporarily, as the case may be. The report
shall also state the reason for such suspension or termination
which shall be submitted to the ICT Office CIO for evaluation.
5.11.3 Upon the confirmation of suspension or termination of E-mail

Account, the ICT Office CIO shall direct the ICT Office E-mail

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Account Administrator to suspend or terminate the e-mail

account involved.
5.11.4 When an ICT Office Employee resigns or retires, a 30-day notice

shall be given to the Account Holder before his / her access to
ICT Office E-mail Facility is terminated.
5.11.5 When an ICT Office Employee is separated from the service for
cause, access to ICT Office E-mail Facility shall immediately be
blocked. After 30 days, the E-mail Account shall automatically
be terminated.
5.12 Spam and Counterfeit or Forged E-mail
5.12.1 In case there are occurrences of Spam and Counterfeit or Forged

e-mails, the Account Holder shall send to the ICT Office E-mail
Account Administrator a copy of the Spam or Counterfeit e-mail
so that an immediate investigation can be done. In submitting a
report, the Account Holder shall make sure that the following
information are present:
5.12.1.1 The subject line “SPAM” together with the subject of

the Spam or Counterfeit e-mail (ex. SPAM:
pornography).
5.12.1.2 The e-mail address of the sender of the Spam or

Counterfeit e-mail should be in the body of the mail.
5.12.1.3 The complete headers must be sent to the ICT Office

E-Mail Account Administrator. This is done by sending
the entire e-mail as an attachment, instead of
forwarding the e-mail.
5.13 Standard E-mail Signature, Event Promotion / Notification and

Disclaimer
5.13.1 All ICT Office E-mail shall use a standard E-mail Signature with
the following format:
Complete Employee Name

Position / Designation
Unit / Section / Division / Office
Complete ICT Office Address
Telephone / Fax Number
URL
Example:

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Juan B. Dela Cruz

Planning Officer II
Internal Planning and Monitoring Office
DOST-ICT Office
ICTO Building
C.P. Garcia Avenue
U.P. Campus, Diliman
1101 Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel. (+63-2)920-0101
www.icto.dost.gov.ph
5.13.2 As a form of public information dissemination, event promotion

/ notification may be included, just below the E-mail Signature,
as illustrated below:
Example:
PCSC 2009
[http://ccs.su.edu.ph/pcsc2009]
9th Philippine Computing Science Congress
March 2-3, 2009
Silliman University
Dumaguete City, PHILIPPINES
Organized by:
COMPUTING SOCIETY OF THE PHILIPPINES (CSP)
www.csp.org.ph
FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS / PARTICIPATION
The Computing Society of the Philippines (CSP) invites you to participate and
submit papers in the 9th Philippine Computing Science Congress (PCSC 2009).
The CSP organizes this conference to enable local and neighboring computing
educators, researchers, and ICT professionals and students to interact and to
share their work in computing, computer science, computer engineering,
computational science, and information and communications technology (ICT).
The conference features special lectures by prominent researchers and

educators in the field of information and communications technology (including
computing, computer science, computer engineering, computational science,
and related disciplines). It also features contributed research papers on
computing and ICT.
5.13.3 All ICT Office E-mail shall use a standard Disclaimer:
The information contained in this communication is intended

solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is
addressed and other parties authorized to receive it. It may
contain confidential or legally privileged communication. If you are
not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on

the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be
unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please
notify us immediately by responding to this e-mail and then
immediately delete it from your system. Opinions contained in this
e-mail or any of its attachments do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the DOST-ICT Office.
Section 6. Responsibilities of Authorized Users
All authorized users of the ICT Office E-mail Facility are required to fulfill the
following responsibilities:
6.1 Sign the form entitled “Authorized User Acknowledgement Form”

provided in Annex 1 before they can use the ICT Office E-mail Facility;
6.2 Forward all incoming e-mails falling within the classification of official
communication to the official ICT Office e-mail address
records@icto.dost.gov.ph for official recording and archiving purposes;
6.3 Be accountable for e-mail emanating from their account;
6.4 Access e-mail through https://liham.icto.dost.gov.ph; and
6.5 Report immediately any instance of violation of this e-mail policy to their
immediate supervisor.
6.6 For existing ICT Office E-mail Users, a copy of this E-mail Policy shall be
e-mailed to them by the ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator. The
e-mail user is required to read the policy and reply back to the E-mail
Account Administrator that he / she has read, understood and will abide
by the said policy.
Section 7. Responsibilities of the E-Mail Account Administrator and E-Mail Support Team
The e-mail account administrator, together with the e-mail support team, shall
provide 1st Level assistance to all authorized users of the ICT Office E-mail
Facility and shall be tasked with the following responsibilities:
7.1 Sign the non-disclosure agreement regarding the administration of the

ICT Office E-mail accounts;
7.2 Implement the e-mail policy consistently and uniformly at all times;
7.3 Provision additional accounts for new/approved personnel, as well as

non-personnel accounts and distribution lists as approved by Agency
authority;
7.4 Handle 1st Level e-mail support for ICT Office employees, including but
not limited to:

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
7.4.1 Inquiries on e-mail account

7.4.2 Password changes
7.4.3 Account status modification, including activation, locking,
closing; and
7.4.4 Account detail updates.
7.5 Escalate support cases not covered in Section 7.4 to the GovMail Team;
7.6 Disseminate information, announcements, notices from the GovMail

Systems Administrators to the ICT Office employees;
7.7 Submit the usage statistics, administration activity monitoring logs and
compliance monitoring report every month to the ICT Office Executive
Director; and
7.8 Deactivate and archive the e-mail of authorized users who have resigned,
retired, separated from the service and those whose e-mail privilege has
been suspended.
7.9 The ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator shall be one of the
signatories to the Employee Clearance required for resigning, retiring or
separated employees.
Section 8. Technical Support and User Awareness Training
The designated ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator shall be responsible for
providing technical support to all authorized users regarding the use of official
e-mail account. An e-mail support team shall be formed to assist the E-mail
Account Administrator in carrying out this function.
All authorized users are required to undergo an Annual User Awareness Training
for responsible and efficient use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility. Similarly, new
authorized users shall undergo the User Awareness Training before being
granted access to the e-mail facility as part of their orientation program.
Section 9. Enforcement
9.1 Violations
Any reported abuse, misuse or inappropriate use of the e-mail facility is

subject to disciplinary action in accordance with Civil Service Commission’s
prescribed Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service. (See
Annex 3 for the list of possible Violations and Equivalent Administrative
Offenses and Sanctions.)
9.2 Administrative Sanctions

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
All disciplinary actions and proceedings shall follow the Civil Service
Commission’s Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service
without prejudice to the filing in court of any other applicable charges that
may be filed by the aggrieved party.
Section 10. Policy Review and Evaluation
This e-mail policy shall be reviewed and evaluated at least once a year based
on its effectiveness, cost to maintain and impact on technical processes. This
e-mail policy shall be revised as needed based on newly discovered risks,
security incidents involving e-mail or any major changes to the ICT Office's
organizational setup or information systems.
Section 11. ICT Office E-Mail Facility Audit
At least once a year, the ICT Office E-mail Facility shall be audited by a
certified information security auditor using applicable, relevant standards.
Section 12. Related Laws / Policies / Documents
DOST Website Policy (DOST Administrative Order No. 002, s2011)

DOST ICT Usage and Security Policy (DOST Administrative Order No. 012,
s2003)
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (R.A. 10175)
Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A. 10173)
Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 (R.A. 9995)
Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (R.A. 9775)
Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 (R.A. 9485)
National Archives of the Philippines Act of 2007 (R.A. 9470)
Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (R.A. 8792)
Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees
(R.A. 6713)
Memorandum Circular 196 issued July 19, 1968 – Amending M.C. No. 78
Memorandum Circular No. 78 issued August 14, 1964 – Promulgating Rules
Governing Security of Classified Matter in Government Offices
Section 13. Effectivity
This policy is effective upon the approval of the Executive Director, DOST-ICT
Office.
LOUIS NAPOLEON C. CASAMBRE

Executive Director

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 1
AUTHORIZED USER ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM
As in any written policy, the challenge of effectively and efficiently implementing a policy
is in the education of all affected parties. Thus, this document is meant to be signed by
the authorized user only after he / she has received the appropriate orientation /
education about this document from HRDD-AFMS.
I have read and understood the DOST-ICT Office’s e-mail policy and agree to abide by it.
I understand that any violation of the above policies and procedures may result in
disciplinary action, up to and including termination from government service or
termination of contract.
Complete Name :
Designation :
Office / Unit :
Official E-mail Address :
Telephone Number :
__________________
Signature
__________________
Date Signed
For any questions or clarifications about this policy, address them to the Head,
HRDD-AFMS or to ICT Office's E-Mail Account Administrator before signing. If you do not
have any question, the ICT Office presumes that you have fully understood this e-mail
policy and shall adhere to it at all times.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 2a
E-MAIL TEMPLATE
(for formal letter)
Control/Reference No.:
(Date)
(Name of recipient)
(Position)
(Agency)
(Address)
Dear (Hon. / Mr. / Ms. / Dr. / Prof.) (Last name):
(Message body)
Very truly yours,
(Name of sender)
(Position)
(Agency)
(Address)
(Telephone Number)
Standard Disclaimer
The information contained in this communication is intended solely for the use of the
individual or entity to whom it is addressed and other parties authorized to receive it. It
may contain confidential or legally privileged communication. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any
action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be
unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately
by responding to this e-mail and then immediately delete it from your system. Opinions
contained in this e-mail or any of its attachments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
the DOST-ICT Office.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 2b
E-MAIL TEMPLATE
(for office memorandum)
(Date)
CONTROL NUMBER:
TO:
SUBJECT:
(Message body)
(Recommended action to be taken)
(Name of sender)
(Position)
(Agency)
(Address)
(Telephone Number)
Standard Disclaimer

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 2c
E-MAIL TEMPLATE
(for person-to-person)
Dear (Hon. / Mr. / Ms. / Dr. / Prof.) (Last name):
(Message body)
(Name of sender)
Standard Disclaimer

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 2d
E-MAIL TEMPLATE
(for quick response)
(Message body)
(Name of sender)
Standard Disclaimer

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 3a
VIOLATIONS AND EQUIVALENT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSES AND

SANCTIONS
EQUIVALENT ADMINISTRATIVE
VIOLATIONS
OFFENSE
1. Commercial Use - Use of DOST-ICT Office Dishonesty / Grave Misconduct
ICT Resources for commercial purposes
and product advertisement for personal
profit
2. Religious Lobbying - Use of DOST-ICT Conduct Prejudicial to the Best

Office ICT Resources for religious lobbying Interest of the Service
3. Political Lobbying - use of DOST-ICT Engaging directly or indirectly in

Office ICT Resources for political lobbying partisan political activities by one
holding non-political office
4. Copyright Infringement - Reproduction, Dishonesty

duplication or transmission of copyrighted
materials
5. Criminal Use - Using the resources for Grave Misconduct

criminal activities
6. Stealing - stealing information resources Grave Misconduct

both hardware or software or any part of
the network resource
7. Concealing Access - concealing one's Grave Misconduct

identity or masquerading as another user
to access the information resource,
send/receive, process, modify or store
data on the DOST-ICT Office ICT Resources
8. Password Disclosure - disclosure of user Grave Misconduct

password protected account or making the
account available to others without the
permission of the E-mail System
Administrator
9. Unlawful Messages - use of electronic Simple Misconduct

communication facilities (such as e-mail,
talk, chat or systems with similar
functions) to send fraudulent, harassing,
obscene, threatening or other offensive
messages

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
10. Offensive Prohibited Materials - use of Simple Misconduct

computers, printers, electronic mail, data
network and other related resources to
produce, disseminate, store or display
materials which could be considered
offensive, pornographic, racially abusive,
libelous or violent in nature
11. Prohibited Materials - using or Simple Misconduct

encouraging the use of materials that
includes instructions to gain unauthorized
access (e.g. Hacker's Guide)
EQUIVALENT ADMINISTRATIVE
VIOLATIONS
OFFENSE
12. Unauthorized reading of e-mail or Simple Misconduct
private communications of other users,
unless otherwise requested to do so by
said user
13. Misrepresentation in sending e-mail Falsification of official document

messages or Simple Misconduct
14. Not cooperating with any investigative Violation of Reasonable Rules and
process in line with computer, network Regulations
or system abuse
15. Disclosure of DOST-ICT Office Disclosing or misusing confidential

Confidential Information - transmission of or classified information officially
information without authority and/or known to him by reason of his
proper security clearance office and not available to the
public, to further his private
interests or give undue advantage
to anyone or to prejudice the
public interest
16. Access to lewd sites and/or materials - a Violation of Reasonable Rules and
user shall not view, transmit, retrieve, Regulations
save or print any electronic file, image or
text which may be deemed sexually
explicit or pornographic

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 3b
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSES AND SANCTIONS

(Based on the CSC Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service)
OFFENSE SANCTIONS
Engaging directly or indirectly in partisan 1st Offense – Dismissal
political activities by one holding
non-political office
Falsification of official document 1st Offense – Dismissal
Grave Misconduct 1st Offense – Dismissal
Dishonesty 1st Offense – Dismissal
Disclosing or misusing confidential or 1st Offense – Suspension for six (6) months
classified information officially known to and one (1) day to one (1) year
him by reason of his office and not 2nd Offense – Dismissal
available to the public, to further his
private interests or give undue advantage
to anyone or to prejudice the public
interest
Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of 1st Offense – Suspension for six (6) months
the Service and one (1) day to one (1) year
2nd Offense – Dismissal
Simple Misconduct 1st Offense – Suspension for one (1) month
and one (1) day to six (6) months
Violation of existing Civil Service law and 1st Offense – Suspension for one (1) month
rules of serious nature and one (1) day to six (6) months
Violation of Reasonable Office Rules and 1st Offense – Reprimand
Regulations 2nd Offense – Suspension for one (1) to
thirty (30) days
3rd Offense – Dismissal

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
ANNEX 4
Proper E-Mail Etiquette
1. Be sure to include a subject line.

2. Consider using a BCC to keep email addresses private or to ensure that the “To:”
area of the message remains a small size.
3. Write clear and concise messages.
4. Write short sentences.
5. Avoid double spacing your messages as e-mail requires recipients to scroll through
messages without the benefit of highlighting or marking the message as one might
on a printout.
6. Use a descriptive subject line.
7. Avoid the use of all capital letters.
8. Avoid using colored fonts.
9. When replying to a message, consider deleting part of the original message to save
space on the screen. Retain only the part of the sender's message to which you are
responding.
10. Avoid using the Reply To All function as this sends your response to all recipients of
the e-mail.
11. Avoid acronyms because not everyone will know their meaning.
12. Use proper grammar and conduct a spell check of your messages.
13. Use simple fonts because computers may have a limited number of fonts available
for e-mail use. Using a small or compact font keeps the message in a more confined
area.
14. Be specific. State terms and conditions clearly to avoid miscommunication,
especially when providing information about times, places or people.
15. Leave the address field blank and fill it out last, to avoid sending unchecked or
hastily written messages.
16. Do not use unnecessary punctuations.
17. Do not use text messaging shortcuts.
18. Avoid emoticons.
19. Never use slang language.
20. Remain gender neutral.
21. Keep harassment and discrimination policies in mind.
22. Never reply to spam.
23. Ask permission before forwarding.
24. Be cautious when sending attachments.
25. Always use salutations and signatures.

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105
Reference
Title Description
GovMail Service Policy A policy prescribing the GovMail Service
Guidelines for Philippine Government
Agencies
Revision History
Version Release Date Author Status + Description
1.0 October 30, 2013 Policy Development Created this document

Team, iGovPhil Project
1.1 November 8, 2013 Policy Development Revisions based from
Team, iGovPhil Project comments from Mr. Rene
Mendoza and Mr. Emmanuel
Balintec
1.2 November 15, 2013 Policy Development Revisions based from the
Team, iGovPhil Project comments and suggestions
raised during the meeting
with Ms. Ma. Teresa Camba
and Mr. Nestor Bongato
2.0 November 26, 2013 Policy Development Updated Section 7 to
Team, iGovPhil Project incorporate the suggestion
made by Mr. Emmanuel
Balintec

ICT Office
Government 920-0101; 928-6105
Project
C.P. Tel.
; 928-6105

ICT Office E Mail Policy - Version2 - 2013nov26

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Department of Science and Technology

November 26, 2013

ICT Office E-mail Policy

Integrated Government Philippines Project

This policy is also aligned with the following issuances:

Policy Development Team, iGovPhil Project

Integrated Government Philippines Project

Section 1. General Policy Statement

The purposes of this e-mail policy are as follows:

2.2 To promote awareness of the benefits of a paperless communication

3.2. It shall apply to all e-mail communications and exchanges, whether

Integrated Government Philippines Project

Section 4. Definition of Terms

4.3 Attachments – textual, graphical or visual or executable files that are

4.4 Bulk Mail – an e-mail message sent to a wide list of recipients.

4.5 Chief Information Officer (CIO) – a person responsible for information

4.8 E-mail Account Administrator – a person in charge with the technical

4.10 Internet – a system of linked computer networks, global in scope, that

4.14 Password – a character string that is used as authentication to access ICT

Integrated Government Philippines Project

4.15 Personnel Head – a person in charge of the human resource management

5.1 Division / Non-Personnel Account

5.1.1.Division or Non-Personnel Accounts shall be provided to divisions,

5.1.2.Heads of divisions, sections, units and projects shall submit a

5.1.3.The e-mail address shall be named in compliance with Section

5.1.4.The Division / Non-Personnel Accounts shall be published in the

5.2 Employee E-mail Account

5.2.1.Employee E-mail Accounts are to be established to provide individual

5.2.3.The e-mail account shall be named pursuant to Section 5.4.2.2.

Integrated Government Philippines Project

5.2.5.Upon confirmation of the ICT Office Chief Information Officer of the

5.2.6.The ICT Office E-mail Account Administrator shall provide the

5.3 Mailing Lists

5.3.1.Mailing lists or group distribution lists can be created in lieu of

5.3.2.Division heads, project managers, component team leaders and

5.4 E-mail Naming Convention

5.4.1.The Official ICT Office E-mail domain shall be @icto.dost.gov.ph.

5.4.2.The naming convention for Office and Employee Account shall

Component or Division E-mail Address Name

5.4.2.2 In case of Employee E-mail Account, the general syntax of

Integrated Government Philippines Project

Sample Employee Account: juan.delacruz@icto.dost.gov.ph

a) Spell out the first name + initial of middle name followed by a

5.5 Acceptable Use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility

5.6 Prohibited Use of the ICT Office E-mail Facility

Integrated Government Philippines Project

5.6.2 E-mail Account Holders shall be prohibited from accessing, copying

5.6.7 Attaching files in the e-mail message is discouraged. File

5.6.8 Any document covered by Memorandum Circular No. 78, entitled

5.6.9 The use of materials, procedures, devices or technologies that will

5.7 Privacy and Monitoring

Integrated Government Philippines Project

5.7.2 Pursuant to Section 2 of Presidential Decree 1445 (Government

“It is the declared policy of the State that all resources

As such, all communication and information sent, received or

5.8 E-mail Archiving, Back-up and Retention (delete entire section if

5.8.1 As defined by the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) General

5.9.1 The Account Holders, when required, must disclose such

5.9.3 Passwords used must have a specified minimum length of at least

Integrated Government Philippines Project

5.9.4 The password must be composed of a combination of: a) upper

5.9.5 The Account Holder shall be responsible for their respective

5.10 File Sending Service