DICT chief to lead Philippines delegation in cybersecurity dialogue

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy will lead the country’s delegation to Washington for the first Philippine-United States Cybersecurity Dialogue on July 15 to 16.

Leading the US side is US Ambassador-at-large for cyberspace and digital issues, Nathaniel Fick.

The two countries will discuss initiatives to strengthen cybersecurity, collaboration in capacity building and cybercrime, and other concerns during the two-day dialogue.

They will also discuss their support on regional and international initiatives for confidence building measures in cybersecurity.

The US has been leading an effort to forge an international community of allies, partners and stakeholders that will promote a cyberspace with the basic principle of “digital solidarity” with nations in the cybercommunity providing mutual assistance to victims of malicious cyber activity and other digital harm.

With the Philippines being a top provider of business process outsourcing services to multinational giants, the US has seen the need for the Philippines to enhance its digital and cyberspace capacities to support a resilient ecosystem that will foster the growth of the country’s data-dependent BPO sector which provides high-value jobs to millions of Filipinos.

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, in the Cybersecurity Conference spearheaded by think tank Stratbase-Albert del Rosario Institute last June 24, said that the inaugural US-Philippines Cyber and Digital Dialogue will foster technology cooperation on cybersecurity between the US and the Philippines including defense.