Legal Validity and Risk Assessment of Digital Signatures for Engineering Approvals in the Philippines

The increasing digitalization of engineering workflows has accelerated the use of digital signatures for approving plans, reports, and certifications. While digital signatures promise efficiency, traceability, and improved document control, their legal validity and associated risks remain a concern for engineering professionals, particularly in safety-critical and regulated environments. This study examines the legal, technical, and organizational dimensions of digital signature use in engineering approvals in the Philippines. Using an integrative literature review, the paper analyzes Republic Act No. 8792 (Electronic Commerce Act of 2000), international standards such as the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures, and technical and cybersecurity literature related to cryptographic signing mechanisms. Findings indicate that digital signatures are legally valid when reliability requirements—identity authentication, integrity assurance, and signer control—are satisfied. However, risks related to key management, cybersecurity threats, inconsistent regulatory acceptance, and weak organizational governance persist. The study proposes a compliance-oriented digital signature framework tailored to engineering workflows, emphasizing governance, security controls, and long-term validation. The paper concludes that digital signatures can support professional accountability and legal defensibility when embedded within structured, risk-aware engineering management systems.