Getting Started
Welcome to BetterGov - Improving Philippine government websites
A community-led initiative to create a better and more usable Philippine national government website.
Why We're Building This Project
The current state of Philippine government websites, particularly the main portal www.gov.ph, presents numerous challenges for citizens:
- The main Gov.ph website is outdated and has not been updated for a long time
- Full of broken links and difficult navigation paths
- Inconsistent formatting and design across pages
- Poor user experience and accessibility issues
- Similar problems exist across most Philippine government agency websites
These issues create barriers for citizens trying to access essential government services and information.
Our Mission
We are a volunteer-led initiative with a clear mission: to provide a 'better' and 'usable' website for the Philippines.
Our goals include:
- Building a proper national website that reflects Filipino values and culture
- Creating intuitive navigation and search functionality
- Ensuring accessibility for all citizens, including those with disabilities
- Providing accurate, up-to-date information about government services
- Establishing a model for how government digital services can and should work
Features
- Modern, responsive design that works on all devices
- Comprehensive directory of government services and agencies
- User-friendly navigation and search
- Accessibility features for users with disabilities
- Regular updates and maintenance
Documentation
For an easy-to-read overview of the project, visit the BetterGov Docs.
Join Us as a Volunteer
We're always looking for passionate individuals to help improve BetterGov.ph. We need volunteers with various skills:
- Frontend and backend developers
- UX/UI designers
- Content writers and editors
- Translators (for Filipino and other local languages)
- Accessibility experts
- Project managers
- QA testers
If you're interested in contributing, please reach out to us at volunteers@bettergov.ph or open an issue in this repository.
Code of Conduct
We are committed to fostering a welcoming and respectful community.
Please read our Code of Conduct before participating.
Contributing
We welcome contributions from everyone!
Please see our Contributing Guide for details on:
- Development setup
- Reporting bugs
- Opening issues and pull requests
How to Run
# Install packages
npm install
# Start the server
npm run dev
Access the application at: http://localhost:5173
Docker
This project includes Docker support for easy deployment and consistent environments.
Building and Running
# Build the Docker image
docker build -t bettergov .
# Run the container
docker run -p 8080:80 bettergov
# Run in detached mode
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name bettergov bettergov
Access the application at: http://localhost:8080
Docker Compose
For the easiest and most consistent development experience, we recommend using Docker Compose. This method uses Docker to run the application in a controlled environment with hot-reloading enabled.
# Start the development server
docker-compose up
# Start in detached mode
docker-compose up -d
# Stop the service
docker-compose down
Access the application at: http://localhost:5173
Testing
This project uses Playwright for end-to-end testing.
For setup instructions, coverage details, and examples, see our Testing Guide.
Contributing
Thanks to all the people who already contributed!
License
This project is released under the Creative Commons CC0 dedication. This means the work is dedicated to the public domain and can be freely used by anyone for any purpose without restriction under copyright law.