ISOG, A Changing of the Guard

The Information Security Officers Group (ISOG) was organized by a team of current and now retired Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from different financial institutions.  Its members initially consisted of CISOs and IT security professionals that come primarily from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Supervised Financial Institutions, referred to as BSFIs. The organization’s main thrust is the formation of a new culture of Information Security that will have a far-reaching impact upon their respective institutions and the whole Philippine landscape.  In order to cover the entire archipelago, ISOG has opened its membership to other non-BSFI institutions, thus, welcoming the rest of the end-user information security practitioners of the country into its fold.

To achieve its goal, ISOG has focused on three pillars consisting of:

• Education and awareness of information security practices for its members and their “clients”.
• Inter-institutional incident response
• Intelligence sharing through maintenance of database on critical information such as the latest operational methods of cybercriminals.

Activities have consistently been initiated by the organization, that continue to strengthen these three pillars, from the time it was founded.

ISOG Activity Milestones

Following are the activities that highlight what ISOG stands for and what it intends to be in the coming decade and beyond.

1. Signing of the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws - July 7, 2014
2. 1st Tripartite conference involving ISOG, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and ISACA Manila - Oct 21 – 22 ,2015   (http://www.acfephils-events.com/2015-tripartite)
3. 1st Cybersecurity Summit – BSP, ISOG, BANCNET  2015
4. 1ST ISOG Summit (solo) September 29 - 30,  2016 (https://www.arconnet.com/resources/arcon-news/312-arcon-techsolutions-participated-at-the-isog-summit-2016-philippines)
5. 2nd ISOG  Summit - July 4 - 5, 2017 (https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/manila-bulletin/20181130/281934544010734)
6. 3rd ISOG IAM Secure 2018  Oct 17 - 18, 2018 (https://mb.com.ph/2019/10/17/isog-launched-the-2019-i-am-secure-cyber-security-awareness-month)
7. 4th ISOG IAM Secure 2019, Oct 16 – 17, 2019 (https://mb.com.ph/2020/07/23/isog-i-am-secure-20-20-summit-sharpens-vision-for-information-security)
8. 1st ISOG eSummit -  July 29 – 30, 2020
9.  ISOG has been conducting year-round TBT sessions which stands for Technical Breakfast Thursday (or Tuesdays, when necessary) which began on February 27, 2014, and continued even during the 2020 pandemic; it is now referred to as the TBT on the Cloud on April 23, 2020, with the first event sponsored by Trend Micro.

First President

The first president of ISOG was also the ring-leader that set things in motion when it was first conceptualized.  Manuel Joey A. Regala, or simply Joey to friends, is currently the First Vice President and Chief Informational Security & Data Protection Officer of EastWest Bank.  Joey has a strong and extensive profile spanning over 30 years in Information Technology and IT Security on Financial Systems.

Joey currently serves as the founding president of ISOG. He has given his all in running the organization since its inception and was the driving force in its success in paving the way for the achievement of its goals. He has decided to step down and hand over the helm of ISOG, to someone who is expected to fill in the shoes that Joey will be leaving behind. The new president will be adding his own leadership brand in bringing ISOG farther, and higher, in its quest to attain its goals.

A big thank you was given by the ISOG Board of Trustees for the more than six years of unwavering service Joey has rendered to the organization as its president. Moving forward, Joey will remain as the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees.

The New President

The new ISOG president is the Chief IT Security Officer of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). His role is to provide support in planning, managing, and administering the Bank’s corporate network and security infrastructure. He believes that in order to achieve a truly secured network infrastructure, a perfect balance of people, process and technology should be established.

Archieval B. Tolentino, or simply Archie to friends, is one of the founding members of ISOG. He has led some of the major activities of the organization to its fruition. He has been actively driving the initiation of the ISOG Summit in 2019, up to its completion.  This is no easy task as it involves a two-month duration worth of activities.

The ISOG Board of Trustees has entrusted the organization into his hands and look forward to years of continuously fruitful endeavors toward the achievement of its goals.

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The two presidents

Manuel Joey A. Regala is the First Vice President and Chief Informational Security & Data Protection Officer of EastWest Bank. Joey has a strong and extensive profile of over 30 years in Information Technology and IT Security on Financial Systems.

A highly qualified Information Security Professional and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and an ISO/IEC 27001 Lead, he has proven a track record on implementing an effective Information Security Infrastructure to protect clients’ Personal Identifiable Information and the company’s Information Assets/Data. Joey has started his career in information security in 1985 as an Audit Supervisor in United Coconut Planters Bank and quickly went up the ranks, holding various senior management positions in information security, user support, and technology research and control prior to joining EastWest in 2017.

Joey concurrently serves as president and founder of Information Security Officers Group (ISOG) . He was president of ISACA Manila from 2011-2012. Past of ITIP 2014, and Vice President for TSIG Interest Group A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Joey earned his bachelor’s degree from Philippine
School of Business Administration. One of the awardees for the 2017 CSO (Chief Security Officer) Asean awards.

Chief IT Security Officer of Land Bank of the Philippines. He supports the Bank in the planning, managing, and administering the corporate network and security infrastructure. He believes that in order to achieve a secured network infrastructure a perfect balance of people, process and technology should be executed.

Archie is one of the founding members of Information Security Officers Group with the mission to strengthen information security thru awareness and education programs, and promoting community and fellowship among Information Security leaders in the Philippines

Archie holds a BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering from New Era University and a Masters in Business Administration from the College of the Holy Spirit. He has certifications such as COBIT, ITIL, ISMS, Resilia to name a few.

Awarded as one of the winners of CSO IDG Asia last 2017.