The Philippines has made an impressive leap in the 2024 United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), moving up to 53rd from 61st in 2020, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said.
The report, released Sept. 12, also revealed that the Philippines’ cybersecurity score rose to 93.49 points from 77 points in 2020, putting the Philippines just 1.51 points away from joining Tier 1, which includes the world’s best in cybersecurity laws, technology, organizations, training, and international cooperation.
The Philippines’ jump from Tier 3 (Evolving) to Tier 2 (Advancing) highlights marked improvements in key areas like providing technical skills, collaborating with other countries, organizing cybersecurity efforts, and building capacity to fight cyber threats.
The GCI introduced the five-tier level system this year.
Huge achievement
“This is a huge achievement for the Philippines. It shows that our hard work to protect Filipinos online is bearing fruit, but we are not stopping here. We are on the brink of being a global leader in cybersecurity and we will continue working to safeguard our digital world,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said in a statement.
Much of the progress can be attributed to the government’s focus on strengthening cybersecurity through the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028, which was formulated by the DICT.
With this momentum, the Philippines is on track to become a global cybersecurity leader, ensuring a safe and secure online environment for every Filipino.
National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028
In April, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 58 mandating all government agencies to adopt the NCSP 2023-2028, ensuring that the country is better protected against cyberattacks and online threats.
The National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028 outlines key strategies to enhance national cybersecurity. While specific features can vary by country, a typical plan might include the following elements:
- Strengthening cyber defense capabilities.
- Promoting cybersecurity awareness and education.
- Enhancing public-private collaboration.
- Developing cyber incident response plans.
- Investing in research and innovation.
- Strengthening cyber legislation and policy.
- Protecting critical infrastructure.
- Fostering international cooperation.
- Building a skilled workforce.
- Promoting secure technology development.
Court convicts cyberscam suspects
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) meanwhile welcomed the conviction of 17 Chinese nationals who were arrested in a suspected cyberscam den in Iloilo City in November last year.
Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Judge Victorino Maniba ruled that the Chinese nationals violated the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 when they forced workers to engage in a lustful conversations over the phone and do lascivious exhibition of body parts.
The convicts were sentenced four to eight months in prison and ordered to pay P75,000 each, the CICC reported.
CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos said that the conviction of the 17 Chinese nationals will send a strong signal to cyberscam operators that their days are numbered.
“This will show that we are determined to go after and punish cyberscammers,” he said. “We shall continue to go after these cyberscammers and we will find them because we have the capability.”
Ramos also thanked all the government agencies involved in the successful prosecution of the 17 Chinese nationals.
“The success of this operation in Iloilo City is proof that the Whole-of-Government approach will yield to successful result in ending cybercrime,” he emphasized..
The raid on the cyberscam den located in Barangay Lawa-an in Jaro District on Nov. 4, 2023 was made on the strength of a search warrant issued by Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Branch 39 after more than a month of surveillance.
Seized were 24 computers, 49 cellular phones, two switch hubs TP-link with 24 ports, two routers, one projector, one monitor, one modem, and one bundle and four boxes of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
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Source: PNA. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1233410
