THE British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP) hosted its Trade and Connect series titled “Securing the Digital Frontier: Breaking Through Digital Boundaries” at Makati Commerce Tower on March 20, 2024.
In partnership with CyberQ Group, Collierce, Makati Commerce Tower and The Manila Times as one of its media partners, it featured key cybersecurity experts from the government and the private sector including Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Cybersecurity Bureau Director Jose Carlos Reyes, CyberQ Group Founder and CEO Chris Woods, CyberQ Chief Solutions Architect Vishvas Nayi, Philippine National Bank Cybersecurity Operations Head Pat Pio Fondevilla and CyberQ Asia-Pacific CEO Roberto Tayag.
BCCP Executive Director/Trustee Chris Nelson extended its support to the government as President Marcos identified its three cybersecurity priority bills including the Cybersecurity Act, Anti- Mule Act and the Online Site Blocking Act.
This statement is echoed by Reyes as it presented developments from the DICT including the recently approved National Cybersecurity Plan (2024-2029) that aims to enhance the government infrastructure to efficiently detect vulnerabilities and threats.
Fondevilla noted the critical significance of businesses in ensuring the balance between security and customer experience. He also cited the initiatives and approaches of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) through regulations and policies to further improve its cybersecurity management.
Meanwhile, Woods encouraged businesses to become more resilient in their operations through developing procedures, security controls, and training programs targeted to their employees.
Tayag noted the large potential of Filipino talents in the country and across the world which demands further development of cybersecurity training to increase professionals in the industry.
He cited the need for those talents to be aligned with the needs of the market to also assist with the industry needs which can be achieved through collaboration with the government, private sector and the academe.
