The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has appointed undersecretary Leandro Angelo “Dino” Aguirre to oversee cybersecurity and strategic initiatives as the agency reorganizes its leadership and prepares to convene the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
New DICT secretary Robert de Claro announced the appointment during the agency’s leadership turnover on Oct. 19. Aguirre, a UP and Harward-trained lawyer who also served as deputy commissioner of the National Privacy Commission, was undersecretary for strategic initiatives and industry and competency development during the term of former DICT secretary Henry Aguda.
The reorganization comes as the DICT prepares to convene the CICC this week to coordinate government efforts against cybercrime. De Claro also instructed CICC executive director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso to convene the council, suggesting that Paraiso may retain a role in the agency’s cybercrime coordination efforts.
De Claro announced the changes as the DICT opened the Philippine Cybersecurity Conference 2026 (Philippine CyberCon 2026) on Oct. 20.
In his opening remarks, De Claro said cybersecurity requires cooperation among government agencies, businesses, and international partners to protect personal data, critical infrastructure, and essential digital services.
“No single agency can protect all of this alone,” he said.
Organized by the DICT Cybersecurity Bureau as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the three-day conference runs from Oct. 20 to 22 under the theme “Cyber Balangayan: Forging a Resilient Nation Through Cooperation, Capability, and Collective Defense.”
The conference focuses on strengthening cybersecurity capabilities, improving incident response, and expanding cooperation to address emerging cyber threats.
Participants on the first day included congressman Brian Poe Llamanzares, Office of the Executive Secretary undersecretary Facundo Palafox IV, and DICT undersecretaries Aguirre, Christian Mark Guingcangco, and Rodil Aniban.
Representatives from the embassies of Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom also attended, along with officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
