‘Come in, wipe your feet, shut your eyes‘

Millions of stolen credentials. Where is DICT?

More than nine million credentials belonging to Philippine users were compromised in the third quarter of 2026. There were also 10,913 phishing attacks and 83 data breaches exposing 85.9 million records, according to Viettel Cyber Security.

These included personal information, financial accounts, businesses and government systems exposed to increasingly sophisticated attacks.

And where was the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)?

DICT, the agency expected to lead the country’s cybersecurity efforts, is itself among 10 government agencies that reported personal data breaches to the National Privacy Commission.

The government has a National Cybersecurity Plan covering 2023 to 2028. It has committees, policies and strategies. Yet millions of credentials continue to be compromised, while government agencies themselves report data breaches.

The DICT cannot keep telling Filipinos to be vigilant online while failing to demonstrate that government systems are adequately protected.

Cybersecurity is not measured by the number of plans drafted, committees formed, or warnings issued. It is measured by results.

Filipinos deserve more than assurances. They deserve a government capable of protecting the information entrusted to it.

If the DICT cannot demonstrate that, perhaps it is time to ask who is protecting the protectors.

If the agencies tasked with securing our data are themselves reporting breaches, Filipinos have every reason to be alarmed.

--- Jason Mago

Fresh paint, same shacks

Why do we need to pretend that everything is all right, mighty fine? We board up the “dirt,” which is to say poor Filipinos, behind painted walls. We clear the streets of vendors who simply want to earn an honest living. And we do all of it for visitors who are not fooled.

Every Filipino knows the truth, that this country is in shambles. Do we think other nations’ leaders are dumb enough to miss it? Some will play along to be diplomatic, but the President knows, the First Lady knows, and our guests know that we know. The ASEAN spectacle only deepens the embarrassment we already suffer from.

Perhaps we should do the opposite. If Trump saw the true Philippines, maybe he would offer aid, or another loan, and that is the one thing our government has always done well. We have perfected the art of being a good dog to the powers that be, whether they sit in Washington or Beijing.

A country that hides its poor from its guests has not solved poverty. It has only decided that the poor are an inconvenience, and that is the real shame.

--- Carl Magadia

They can, yet they don’t

Metro Manila can be clean. It just takes a few foreign dignitaries to make it happen.

With the ASEAN Summit approaching, government agencies have intensified efforts to spruce up Metro Manila, particularly along the roads leading to summit venues in Pasay and Parañaque.

I am from Parañaque, and I have seen the difference firsthand.

The streets of Baclaran are being washed and cleared. And I am not talking about removing street vendors. I am talking about the roads themselves, which have long needed proper cleaning and maintenance.

Government agencies are now racing to remove unnecessary obstructions — abandoned construction materials, government equipment and all sorts of objects left lying around for reasons nobody seems to know.

As for the vendors, perhaps this is an opportunity for the government to provide them with better, more organized spaces to sell their goods without compromising their livelihoods.

Fire trucks blasting water onto roads. Sidewalks cleared. Highways freed of obstructions. Streets scrubbed and surroundings polished.

All of a sudden, the government knows how to clean. Sidewalks matter. Streets deserve attention.

They can. They just don’t.

These are the same streets Filipinos walk every day. The same sidewalks commuters struggle to navigate. The same roads workers endure just to get home.

Yet a foreign delegate seems to deserve a clean sidewalk more than a Filipino taxpayer.

Why must our best wait for others?

Clean roads, unobstructed sidewalks and properly maintained public spaces should not be special arrangements reserved for special occasions.

They should be the standard for the people who live here.

We don’t keep our homes clean just because guests are coming.

We keep them clean because they are ours — where we live, work and come home every day.

--- Vivienne Angeles