US tech giants operating in the Philippines are looking to intensify their partnerships with the government in cybersecurity and digital transformation.
In a Nov. 19 statement, Washington-based US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) said it co-hosted the 2024 Philippine Digital Transformation in Government (DIGIT) Series 3: Workshop on Cybersecurity, here in the Philippines last Nov. 14.
USABC said more than 120 top-level officials representing 45 government agencies attended the event, which was supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and IBM.
This year's workshop tackled ways to enhance cybersecurity resilience alongside the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028.
"By bringing together experts across sectors, we're working to secure digital assets and fortify public confidence in government systems," USABC senior vice president and regional managing director Brian McFeeters said.
During the workshop, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian C. Dy underscored an "urgent need to address cybersecurity skills gaps in the public sector," USABC noted.
"We need the collective effort of the private sector to build cybersecurity capabilities across the government," Dy was quoted by USABC as saying.
For the part of the Marcos Jr. administration, USABC said Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO)-House of Representatives Undersecretary Agapito H. Guanlao expressed "commitment to a secure digital landscape."
"Through active collaboration with the private sector, the government is committed to addressing digitalization and cybersecurity challenges to ensure a safer digital environment for all," USABC quoted Guanlao as saying.
USABC disclosed its plan to make DIGIT a multi-day workshop so it could "further explore and address digital transformation and cybersecurity challenges, marking a significant step towards building a secure and trusted digital environment in the Philippines."