The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have launched a $25.6-million project to establish a National Cybersecurity Center equipped with a 24/7 monitoring and control system for responding to cyber threats and crises.
The project will develop a national cyber monitoring system designed to remain operational even during disasters, while building institutional and technical capabilities for preventing, detecting, responding to, and recovering from cyberattacks.
DICT and KOICA formally kicked off the project during an inception workshop on Aug. 25 in Quezon City attended by representatives from Philippine government agencies, foreign embassies, and international development organizations.
KOICA Philippines country director Jung Youngsun said the $25.6-million undertaking is the development agency’s largest single project implemented in the Philippines.
Aside from establishing the National Cybersecurity Center, the project will include cybersecurity capacity-building programs and initiatives aimed at developing more information security professionals in the country.
DICT officer-in-charge undersecretary for cybersecurity Rodil Aniban said the project would provide government agencies and other stakeholders an opportunity to assess the country’s existing cybersecurity capabilities and determine priorities for improving them.
“It provides us with an opportunity to bring together our government partners, stakeholders, and experts to establish a common understanding of our current cybersecurity landscape and, more importantly, to identify the direction we need to take moving forward,” Aniban said.
The project is being undertaken as a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding on Technology, Digital, and Innovation Development Cooperation signed during the Korea-Philippines Summit in March.
A consortium led by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) will serve as the implementing agency and provide technical and institutional support for the project.
Representatives from 25 Philippine government agencies participated in the inception workshop, including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Commission on Elections, Department of Finance, Department of Science and Technology, National Telecommunications Commission, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.
Representatives from the embassies of South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, as well as the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, also attended.
The project is intended to improve coordination among government agencies during cyber incidents and strengthen the country’s broader cyber crisis response infrastructure as government services and other critical functions become increasingly dependent on digital systems.
