The British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP) hosted the third installment of its monthly event on March 20, 2024, under the banner of Trade and Connect, titled “Securing the Digital Frontier: Breaking Through Digital Boundaries.”
This monthly initiative highlighted opportunities to explore multiple industries in the country for stakeholders.
Joined by BCCP executive director/trustee Chris Nelson, in partnership with BCCP Corporate Member CyberQ, Colliers, Makati Commerce Tower, along with Malaya Business Insight as one of its media partners, speakers and panelists shared their insights to further improve the Philippine digital landscape.
The discussion focused on the significance of robust cybersecurity practices and policies that enable a security-conscious workforce, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to prevent and protect against cybersecurity threats.
BCCP executive director Chris Nelson emphasized strong support for the passage of three bills, namely the Cybersecurity Act, Anti-Mule Act, and the Online Site Blocking Act, to further develop and leverage cybersecurity policies under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.
“Cybersecurity is a critical point. We, at the British Chamber, fully endorse its importance, and in that context, we continue to support the government in passing, as we mentioned, the three acts, particularly the Anti-Mule Act, Online Site Blocking Act, and Cybersecurity Act, along with supporting ongoing educational initiatives,” Nelson said.
During the panel discussion, director and engineer of the Department of Information, Communications, and Technology, Jose Carlos Reyes, mentioned the department’s efforts in supporting the workforce by focusing on cybersecurity and IT education in the Philippines.
“We can somehow address it to minimize it. What we are doing right now is addressing cybersecurity… We need to focus more. That’s the very reason we are working with the academia, together with the Commission on Higher Education… We have requested a bill to include restandardization for qualifications for IT, not just cybersecurity, to have a different level of salary rate; and hopefully, this would be supported by our lawmakers,” Reyes said.
Operations head of the Philippine National Bank, Pat Pio Fondevilla, responded that considering provisions alongside sending employees to training and third-party providers of cybersecurity are the best ways to grow talents.
This statement was echoed by CyberQ group chief executive officer for APAC, Roberto Tayag, who emphasized the need to prioritize increasing the cybersecurity workforce.
