Hackers began the attacks last year and an investigation was underway to determine if the perpetrators were based in China, Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology told in a congressional hearing.
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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the adoption and implementation of the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028 to strengthen the security and resilience of Philippine cyberspace.
Marcos signed a two-page Executive Order (EO) 58 on 4 April to “strengthen the security and resilience of the Philippine cyberspace.”
Under the EO, the NCSP 2023-2028 crafted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will serve as a “whole-of-nation roadmap for the integrated development and strategic direction of the country’s cybersecurity.”
EO 58 mandates all national government agencies and instrumentalities to formulate, adopt, and implement cybersecurity plans and strategies relevant to their respective mandates, in accordance with NCSP 2023-2028.
Local government units have been encouraged to do the same.
Marcos’ order also mandates the DICT to adopt a system to effectively implement, monitor and review NCSP 2023-2028, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.
EO 58 also orders the DICT to cooperate with the private sector to provide technical assistance to other government agencies and offices for implementing NCSP 2023-2028.
The DICT must submit to the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary and the National Cybersecurity Inter-Agency Committee, a bi-annual report on the status and progress of the NCSP 2023-2028 implementation.
Under Section 15 of Republic Act 10844, the DICT formulated the NCSP 2023-2028, “which outlines the country’s policy direction and provides operational guidelines towards a trusted, secure, and resilient cyberspace for every Filipino.”
The budget for implementing EO 58 will be charged against the current and available appropriations of the agencies concerned, subject to pertinent budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules, and regulations.
The funding requirements for the continued implementation of the order will be included in the General Appropriations Act, subject to the usual budget preparation process.
Strengthening the security and resilience of the country’s cyberspace is one of the key strategies for ensuring safety and security in cyber and physical spaces under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
A copy of EO 58 was released on Saturday. It takes effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
Several government websites have been targeted by cyberattacks in recent months, including those of the House of Representatives, Senate, and Philippine Health and Insurance Corporation.
There were also thwarted attempts to hack the websites of the Philippine Coast Guard and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, linking the IP address of the hackers to China United Network Communications Group, which the Chinese government allegedly owns.
The Department of Information and Communications is actively regaining control and assessing the scope of the cyber breach carried out on April 4 by a local group targeting the Department of Science and Technology’s IT systems, which affected at least three DoST websites.
