Japan supports Phl’s programs in securing cyberspace

By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios

With the continuing threat and unrelentless cyberattacks that become a major concern of the world, the Philippines was rated the second most vulnerable country to cyber threats worldwide and it is interesting to note that only 1% of the country’s enterprises are ready to deal with cyberattacks.

Given this serious predicament of the country’s cyberspace, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) commits to continue supporting the Philippines’ Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) against increasing cybersecurity threats. 

JICA hosted a three-day training on Cybersecurity Risk Management from July 16 to 18, 2024 and this is a part of the two-year work plan of the ongoing project for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the Capacity Development on Cybersecurity supported by JICA under its dedicated technical cooperation program for the dispatch of experts to bolster the capabilities of the Philippine government.

During the ceremony, JICA highlighted that Japan’s unwavering and strong commitment to cooperate in the area of cybersecurity, which was also underscored during the Japan-Philippines-US Trilateral Summit Meeting held in Washington, D.C. in April 2024, denotes its continued cooperation with the Philippine government to enhance its capacity and develop talents that will guard the country’s safer cyberspace.

The training is the first undertaking after the said Trilateral Summit and is implemented as a joint initiative with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Better Access and Connectivity (BEACON) Project. JICA invites USAID’s lecturer who imparts basic knowledge on cybersecurity risk management, emerging threats, and latest measures. DICT is pleased with the effective support provided under the JICA-USAID collaborative action.

About eighty participants from DICT and related government agencies such as the Supreme Court, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Energy (DOE), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and the National Telecommunication Commission, among others, attended the first day of training.

“JICA recognizes the pressing need to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity posture. In order to attain cyber resiliency of the government’s CII, we shall continue our support to the Philippine government to enhance its capacity particularly on sectoral coordination, and enhancing the country’s awareness on cybersecurity,” said JICA Chief Representative SAKAMOTO Takema.

He added that, “With a vast number of potential cyber-attacks happening daily, data breach is a serious concern that we need to address immediately. Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing concern for the Philippines and the entire world in line with the promotion of digital transformation. We can share our knowledge, experiences and lessons learned with the spirit of Bayanihan. I am honored and delighted that we, JICA-DICT-USAID, are now materializing our first joint collaboration after the trilateral summit meeting in April very swiftly.”

The Philippines ranked 61^st out of 194 countries worldwide in the 2020 Global Cybersecurity index (GCI), placing below most ASEAN states.  According to IBM’s research, “National Cybersecurity Talent Workforce Assessment Report of the Philippines” (2022), the country had the highest number of users attacked by banking Trojans in the Asia-Pacific and is the 4^th most targeted country by cybercriminals in 2021. 

Present during the opening ceremony are DICT Assistant Secretary Philip Varilla, DFA Assistant Secretary Allan Deniega, Japanese Embassy to the Philippines’ Economic Minister NIHEI Daisuke, and USAID Acting Mission Director to the Philippines, Pacific Islands, and Mongolia Rebekah Eubanks.