Top government officials, experts, and the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines emphasized the need for cooperation to combat cybersecurity threats in the country.
The officials gathered during a two-day Cybersecurity Conference this week, organized by the Stratbase Institute, in partnership with the Canadian Embassy.
In his speech, Stratbase Institute’s Chief Operating Officer RP Manhit said strengthening the Philippine cyber landscape needs a whole-of-society approach to promote a basic understanding of potential risks and threats, and highlight growth opportunities.
Manhit added that having a cyber resilient society is important to encourage more investments in the country.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said cooperation among like-minded nations is inevitable, especially in the areas of digitalization and economic development.
Pangandaman said cybersecurity remains a paramount concern for DBM as the agency transitions to digitalization.
Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan Uy also vowed to strengthen the country’s cyber security defense, especially in combatting cyberespionage.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said Canada is willing to work together with the Philippines to address cybersecurity threats.
“Now, more than ever, with the growing threat from the proliferation of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, likeminded countries must work together to build a resilient and adaptable cyber workforce for the future; indeed, one trained and ready for the whatever the future may hold,” he explained.
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Head Sami Khoury also noted the need for international partnership in addressing cybersecurity threats.
“I’m proud to be here in the Philippines. We look forward to being international partners on the cybersecurity front. Cyber knows no boundaries. So the cyber threat actors don’t stop at Canada just because or don’t stop at the Philippines because they don’t intend to go out of the Philippines,” Khoury said.
“[We need to know] how do we work together, how do we learn from each other, how do we share, how do we make each other as an early warning system of cyber—you see something here and you might be patient zero– how do we learn from that patient zero so we can stop threats elsewhere. It’s all about building that international team cyber and protect our society,” he added.
Stratbase’s two-day cybersecurity conference gathered relevant stakeholders in cybersecurity including top government officials, key private sector leaders, and experts from the academe and civil society organizations, who shared their knowledge and explored innovative solutions to counter cyber risks and ensure digital security.