The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has signed a two-year agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to improve cyber security in the Philippines.
The technical cooperation aligns with the country’s National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2024-28 approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on February 6th, setting the direction of the government in responding to cyber threats and network intrusions.
This partnership is crucial as it will help enhance security of the country’s critical information structures. Recent statistics show the Philippines as the fourth most attacked country in the world, with over 50 million web threat attempts in 2021 alone.
Also, the Philippines ranked 61st of 194 countries worldwide (13th out of 38 countries in Asia Pacific) in the 2020 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), placing below major ASEAN countries. There is an obvious need to beef up the country’s cybersecurity position to enhance the protection of government agencies, critical information infrastructures, businesses and supply chains, and every Filipino in cyberspace.
“Currently, digitization, digitalization and digital transformation are the solid priority policies for a prosperous future, and at the same time, cybersecurity is becoming a major concern which requires immediate response. We aim to assist the Philippines in achieving Trusted, Secure, and Reliable Cyberspace for every Filipino in the digital age. Through this cooperation, Japanese experts will help develop modules and support activities that will complement the NCSP” Sakamoto Takema, JICA chief representative said.
As part of the JICA-DICT cooperation, training modules will be developed and implemented to boost the technical capability of cybersecurity personnel, seminar/workshops on sectoral coordination and collaboration schemes will be conducted, and cybersecurity awareness will be enhanced through seminars and information materials.
