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Phl, Canada solidify cyber defense ties

Lade Jean Kabagani

The Philippines and Canada have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cyber defense cooperation, the Department of National Defense (DND) announced Friday.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong disclosed the development followed a bilateral meeting held last 22 July in Singapore. The meeting was between Atty. Odessa Rossilyz Magisa, Officer-in-Charge of the DND’s Office for Information Security, and Hani Nasser, Director of Domains and Technology Policy at Canada’s Department of National Defense. The discussion took place on the sidelines of the 2025 Digital Defense Symposium.

“Both sides explored practical areas for collaboration, including capacity-building and information sharing programs,” Andolong said in a statement.

This bilateral engagement is part of a growing defense partnership between the two nations, anchored by the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation signed in January 2024.

The relationship was further reinforced by the conclusion of negotiations for the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in March of this year.