REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

JOINT MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2016-____

21 June 2016

FOR : HEADS OF ALL BRANCHES OF THE GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs), GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND

-CONTROLLED CORPORATIONS (GOCCs), GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL

INSTITUTIONS (GFIs), STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (SUCs), PHILIPPINE EMBASSIES, AND OTHER PHILIPPINE OFFICES ABROAD

SUBJECT : ADOPTION BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES OF AGENCY RECORDS

INVENTORY SYSTEM (AgRIS) AND THE ARCHIVES AND RECORDS

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (ARMIS) OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (DICT) AND THE

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE PHILIPPINES (NAP)

SECTION 1. Background

1.1. Section 2(b) of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10844, otherwise known as the “Department of Infor-

mation and Communications Technology Act of 2015,” which was signed into law by the President of

the Republic of the Philippines on May 23, 2016 mandates the DICT to ensure the provision of strate-gic, reliable, cost-efficient and citizen-centric information and communications technology (ICT) infra-

structure, systems and resources as instruments of good governance and global competitiveness;

1.2. Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9470, otherwise known as the “National Archives of the Philippines,”

was signed into law by the President of the Republic of the Philippines on May 21, 2007. The NAP is mandated by law to strengthen the system of management and administration of archival records.

Article I Section 2 of R.A. No. 9470 provides that all public records with enduring value, held by gov-ernment offices, shall be transferred to a permanent government repository for proper management,

control, and regulation of record disposition.

1.3. Article III, Section 15 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9470, otherwise known as the National Ar-

chives of the Philippines Act of 2007, provides that the “government offices shall conduct an inventory of their public record and shall be mandated to keep the following data in their respective registry.”

SECTION 2. Adoption of AgRIS and ARMIS

Pursuant to R.A. No. 9470 and R.A. No. 10844, the DICT and NAP hereby adopt AgRIS

as the ICT tool for the inventory of public records and ARMIS as a system to facilitate the creation, routing, tracking, archiving, and disposal of electronic documents.

SECTION 3. Purposes

The purposes of this Joint Memorandum Circular are as follows:

3.1. To prescribe the proper policies and guidelines on the proper use and implemen-tation of AgRIS and ARMIS.

3.2. To provide government agencies the procedures for the adoption of AgRIS and ARMIS.

3.3. To specify major stakeholders of the system and define their responsibilities.

SECTION 4. Scope

4.1. Consistent with the mandate provided under Article I, Section 3 of RA No. 9470,

AgRIS and ARMIS shall cover all public records, held by either government offices or private collections, and shall also cover archival and records management pro-

grams and activities in all branches of the government, whether national or local,

constitutional offices, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs),

Philippine embassies, consulates, and other Philippine offices abroad.

4.2 The adoption of ARMIS and AgRIS as specified in this document shall be mandato-

ry for all branches of the government, whether national or local, constitutional of-fices, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), government fi-

nancial institutions (GFIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), Philippine em-bassies, consulates, and other Philippine offices abroad, except those with exist-

ing or subsisting records management system provided that they shall adopt ARMIS and AgRIS upon termination or expiry of the existing contract with the

service provider.

4.3. AgRIS shall only be limited to the inventory of records and archives of govern-

ment institutions. It does not include the inventory of office supplies, materials, equipment and the like.

SECTION 5. Definition of Terms

5.1. Agency Instance/Site – refers to the occurrence of the agency in ARMIS or AgRIS. An agency instance has to be created as private in order to secure their

transactions from unauthorized users.

a.) An ARMIS agency instance is a document collaboration site wherein a

document can be managed using workflows and versioning before it becomes finalized and be moved to the Records Management site for record filing.

b.) An AgRIS agency instance allows the agency to keep and track their records

listing.

5.2. Agency Records and Inventory System (AgRIS) – refers to a web-based

system of lists of various record series or titles kept and maintained by submitting agencies. This system serves as a support databank to assist the National Archives

of the Philippines (NAP) and government agencies to properly maintain and

preserve documents/records. Records Officers of agencies will use AgRIS to automate the submission of records inventory to NAP.

5.3. Agency Site Manager – refers to the agency personnel who has full access

rights to the content of their ARMIS site, both as to what they have created and what other site members have created (e.g. folders and documents).

5.4. Agency System Administrator – refers to the agency personnel who has full rights to the content of their AgRIS site. The agency system administrator is

responsible for maintaining the record listings of the agency.

5.5. AgRIS Administrator – refers to the person or body who has full rights to the

content of AgRIS including the management of record listings.

5.6. Archival Value – refers to the value attached to records that remain useful for

any government office, including, but not limited to, all branches of government, constitutional offices, local government units (LGUs), government-owned and -

controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges, Philippines em-bassies, consulates and other Philippine offices abroad, and the general public;

because those records make government accountable to its citizens, provide evi-dence about public policies and programs, protect or verify individuals’ rights and

entitlements, and provide information about the important people, issues, places,

and events that impact on the Philippines’ history.

5.7. Archives and Records Management Information System (ARMIS) – refers to a cloud-based document management and tracking, archiving, and disposal

application system for government agencies. It follows proper naming conven-

tions and file classification that complies with ISO standards and policies as rec-ommended by NAP. The system has four key features: Document Tracking Sys-

tem, Records Management System, Archives Management System, and Security Management.

5.8. ARMIS Administrator - refers to the person or body managing the site, agen-

cies, users, groups, and records in ARMIS.

5.9. Cloud – refers to a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet and used to

store, manage, and process data in place of local servers or personal computers.

5.10. Disposal – refers to the act of selling, burning, or any other way of discarding

valueless records in accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 9470.

5.11. Document – refers to recorded information regardless of medium or character-istics like electronic document as defined in Republic Act no. 8792, or “An Act

Providing for the Recognition and Use of Electronic Commercial and Non-

commercial Transactions and Documents, Penalties for Unlawful Use Thereof and for Other Purposes.”

5.12. Document Life Cycle – refers to a process of creating, finishing, delivering,

reporting, tracking, and storing files and information.

5.13. Downtime – refers to a time during which an application is unavailable for use.

5.14. Electronic Records – refers to records that are received, recorded, transmit-

ted, stored, processed, retrieved or produced electronically and that have:

i) structure: the format of the electronic record and any links to attachments or

other related documents; ii) content: the information in the structure of the electronic record conveying the

evidence of the transaction; and iii) context: the information documenting the source in terms of the transaction

to which it relates, creator, date, security and access, language, disposal, format etc. of the electronic record and which is normally separated in the structure

from the content.

5.15. Instance – refers to the occurrence of a realized project, in this case, a server.

5.16. Government Office – refers to all branches of the government, whether na-tional or local, constitutional offices, government-owned and -controlled corpora-

tions (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), state universities and col-leges (SUCs), Philippine embassies, consulates, and other Philippine offices

abroad.

5.17. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) – refers to a set of hardware, software, poli-

cies, personnel and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store and revoke digital certificates. It allows users of public networks to privately and

securely exchange data.

5.18. Public Records – refers to record or classes of records, in any form, in whole

or in part, created or received, whether before or after the effectivity of R.A. 9470, by a government agency in the conduct of its affairs, and have been re-

tained by that government agency or its successors as evidence or because of the information contained therein.

5.19. Records – refers to information, whether in its original form or otherwise, in-cluding documents, signatures, seals, texts, images, sounds, speeches, or data

compiled, recorded or stored as the case may be: (1) In written form or any ma-terial; (2) On film, negative, tape or other medium so as to be capable of being

reproduced; or (3) By means of any recording device or process, computer or other electronic device or process.

5.20. Records Disposition Schedule – refers to the listing of records series by organization showing, for each records series the period of time it is to remain it is

to remain in the office area, in the storage (inactive) area and its preservation or destruction.

5.21. Records Management – refers to the managerial activities involved with re-spect to records creation, records maintenance and use, transmission, retention,

and records disposition in order to achieve adequate and proper documentation of policies and transactions of government for its efficient, effective and economi-

cal operation.

5.22. Records Series – refers to a group of related records arranged under a single

unit or kept together as a unit because they deal with a particular subject, result from the same activity, or have a special form.

5.23. Retention Period – refers to the specific period of time established and ap-

proved by NAP as the life span of records, after which they are deemed ready for

permanent storage or destruction.

5.24. Source Code – refers to the version of software as it is originally written by a human in plain text. It is also referred to as source or code.

5.25. Systems Administrator – refers to the person responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems.

5.26. Valueless Records – refer to all records that have reached the prescribed re-

tention periods and outlived the usefulness to the agency or the government as a whole.

SECTION 6. Roles and Responsibilities

6.1. Responsibilities of the DICT

The DICT shall:

6.1.1. Develop AgRIS and ARMIS;

6.1.2. Provide an agency instance in AgRIS and ARMIS for each agency that

will be adopting the service;

6.1.3. Maintain the operations of the services twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week and provide maintenance and technical sup-

port;

6.1.4. Provide training seminars to trainers of the agencies availing of the

services;

6.1.5. Provide necessary resources, such as user guides and e-learning mod-

ules on the use of AgRIS and ARMIS;

6.1.6. Define requirements for government agencies availing of AgRIS and ARMIS, in collaboration with NAP; and

6.1.7. Regularly apply best practices and principles in security.

6.2. Responsibilities of NAP

NAP shall:

6.2.1. Develop and issue guidelines, including the guidelines on electronic documents or records, and prepare a rollout plan to effectively imple-

ment AgRIS and ARMIS;

6.2.2. Define requirements for government agencies availing of AgRIS and

ARMIS, in collaboration with the DICT;

6.2.3. Assist the DICT in providing training seminars on the use of the services especially on records management;

6.2.4. Conduct routine backup of AgRIS and ARMIS and related data;

6.2.5. Monitor legal agreements related to the provisioning of AgRIS and ARMIS;

6.2.6. Act as the administrator of AgRIS and ARMIS; and

6.2.7. Administer the Records Management Site of ARMIS, through its Records Management Services Division.

6.3. Responsibilities of Agencies Availing of AgRIS and ARMIS

Responsibilities of agencies availing of AgRIS and ARMIS include the follow-

ing:

6.3.1. Complete and submit requirements set by the DICT and NAP;

6.3.2. Ensure that authorized agency users are trained in the use of the ser-

vices;

6.3.3. Ensure that AgRIS and ARMIS are used by their authorized agency us-

ers;

6.3.4. Handle first level support for authorized agency users’ concerns, which are related to the use of the system, through their agency site man-

agers.

6.3.4.1. Responsibilities of the Agency System Administrator

for AgRIS:

The Agency System Administrator shall:

a) Handle first level support for authorized agency users’

concerns relative to the use of the system;

b) Perform overall monitoring of the use of AgRIS in the agency;

c) Elevate other support cases to the DICT's AgRIS support

team; and

6.3.4.2. Responsibilities of the Agency Site Manager for ARMIS

The Agency Site Manager shall:

a) Handle first level support for authorized agency users’ concerns relative to the use of the system;

b) Perform overall monitoring of the use of ARMIS in the

agency;

c) Elevate other support cases to the DICT's ARMIS support

team; and

d) Manage the Document Library for the agency.

6.3.5. Implement all guidelines, policies, and procedures issued by the DICT

and NAP relative to the use, operation, and maintenance of AgRIS and ARMIS.

SECTION 7. System Access

AgRIS and ARMIS may be accessed through any device that is connected to the Inter-

net, using recommended browsers specified in Annex D of this document.

SECTION 8. Copyright

NAP shall retain full and exclusive ownership and copyright of the systems' source codes.

SECTION 9. System Security

9.1. The DICT and NAP shall have control and sole access to the ARMIS and AgRIS'

source code;

9.2. All changes made therein as initiated and approved by NAP and the DICT;

9.3. The responsibility of ARMIS and AgRIS system administrators in case of breach in

the system's security and confidentiality shall be joint and solidary with the DICT; and

9.4. The use of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) offered by the DICT shall be man-

datory for all users of the ARMIS and AgRIS. The PKI shall be used for user identi-fication, authentication, and creation of digital signatures.

SECTION 10. Liabilities

Each party shall be liable for any breach or security incident arising from acts or omis-

sions caused by the respective parties and their officers, employees, personnel, and

other representatives. Penalties under Section 33 of Republic Act No. 8792 shall be imposed for any like violation hereof as well as any administrative, civil, and criminal

liabilities shall be imposed depending on the nature of the incident and applicable law.

Any suit arising out or from this JMC shall be filed exclusively within the proper courts of Manila.

SECTION 11. Information to be Added to the Inventory through AgRIS

Agencies shall add all the information required by NAP to the inventory, through

AgRIS, in compliance with Article III, Section 15 of R.A. No. 9470, including the Rec-

ords Series Title and Description, Restrictions, Location of Records, Time Value, and Retention Period.

SECTION 12. Restriction

This JMC adopts the provision of NAP General Circular No. 4, issued on November 28,

2012, or the “Guidelines on the National Inventory of Records” pertaining to the re-strictions of government offices’ record holdings.

SECTION 13. Procedure in Availing of AgRIS and ARMIS

Government agencies that wish to avail of the services shall adhere to the procedure

specified in Annexes A and B of this JMC.

SECTION 14. Repealing Clause

All issuances, orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent with the provisions of this JMC are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 15. Separability Clause

Should any provision of this JMC be declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other

provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION 16. Effectivity

This Joint Memorandum Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) days after the publica-tion in the Official Gazette and the submission of three (3) certified true copies to the

University of the Philippines Law Center.

Approved By:

USEC. LOUIS NAPOLEON C. CASAMBRE

Executive Director, ICT Office HON. VICTORINO M. MANALO

Executive Director, NAP

Annex A: Process Flow in Availing AgRIS

Following is the process flow in availing AgRIS:

1. The agency shall submit the following requirements to NAP.

• Letter of intent addressed to the Executive Director of NAP

• Accomplished Users List Form (To access the form, visit http://i.gov.ph/narmis/resources)

• National inventory endorsed by NAP

2. After the accomplishment of the requirements, a service level agreement shall be signed between NAP and the availing agency.

3. NAP shall enroll the users of AgRIS from the agency.

4. The DICT shall then provide training for the agency users of AgRIS.

5. The agency may now use AgRIS to automate the submissions of records inventory to the National Archives of the Philippines.

Annex B: Process Flow in Availing ARMIS

Below is the process flow in availing ARMIS:

1. The agency shall submit the following requirements to NAP:

• Letter of intent addressed to the Executive Director of NAP

• Accomplished Users List Form (To access the form, visit http://i.gov.ph/narmis/resources) • Records Disposition Schedule (RDS) approved by NAP

2. After the accomplishment of the requirements, a service level agreement shall be signed between NAP and the availing agency.

3. NAP shall create an agency site or instance in ARMIS.

4. The ARMIS users from the agency shall be enrolled in ARMIS.

5. The DICT, with the help of NAP, shall conduct ARMIS training for the agency users and

programmers.

6. The agency shall migrate to ARMIS to use the service.

Annex C: Document Life Cycle for ARMIS

Once approved, the finalized document will then be transferred to

the Records Management site and can be declared as an electronic record.

Annex D: Recommended Browsers (As of September 2015)

In accessing AgRIS and ARMIS, users should need to have these recommended web browsers:

Web Browser Version Plug-in

For AgRIS:

Firefox

40.0.3

Java Runtime 1.7

For ARMIS:

Firefox

Google Chrome

40.0.3

45.0.2