'Why not make our own?': CICC pushes for local cybersecurity defenses
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said the department is pushing to build the country's own research and development (R&D) in cybersecurity defenses.

"There are many initiatives that are being done by the government in the different agencies, but we at CICC is [lacking] in R&D, which is definitely much needed in technology," Deputy Executive Director of CICC ASec. Mary Rose Magsaysay said in an interview on Tuesday, March 19.
Magsaysay stressed the importance of investing in creating "our own" solutions rather than relying on foreign vendors.
"We cannot just buy speed from vendors because we know in so many of the breaches, it comes from a third party we have purchased. So why not make our own?" she said.
She then cited the department's proposal to the College of St. Benilde to develop digital forensics tools.
"We pitched the idea of creating our own digital forensics tools because we can," she said.
Digital forensics is essential because everything is digital nowadays, according to Magsaysay.
"For instance, if we want to track a stolen item, most likely it has a chip. We can extract data and examine the logs from that chip. That's digital forensics. It's a highly specialized field," she explained.
However, she noted that it needs help from agencies like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to meet the needs of the Philippines.
From there, the CICC official reiterated that government resources are not limited, but they are also not unlimited.
"We are shoulder to shoulder with various sectors, but we must acknowledge that research and development plays a big chunk in the success of Filipinos," she added.
She continued by saying that a lot is needed, and the department is pushing for things where they plan to create technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to combat AI-powered cyberattacks.
Although the funding was allocated for 2026, Magsaysay expressed the urgency of securing the funding by 2025 for this solution.
Furthermore, Magsaysay acknowledged the need not just for cutting-edge technology but also for crafted solutions that will create new job opportunities.