Phl, Canada strengthen cybersecurity ties

The Department of National Defense (DND) announced on Friday that the Philippines and Canada have agreed to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation.

This development follows a meeting between DND officials, led by Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino, and Canada’s Cyber Envoy, Sami Khoury of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), on Thursday. 

Discussions focused on expanding collaboration in cybersecurity, exchanging best practices in policy development, and exploring capacity-building initiatives to enhance cyber defense capabilities.

The Canadian delegation highlighted upcoming cybersecurity engagements with the Philippines, including a possible visit by the Commander of Canada’s Cyber Command. Khoury also shared insights into Canada’s cybersecurity incident response framework and ongoing national threat assessments, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to mitigate cyber risks.

Both sides explored best practices in cyber governance, particularly Canada’s approach to consolidating cyber functions under a single agency, the National Cyber Center. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defense and security cooperation, recognizing the importance of a secure and resilient cyberspace in ensuring national and regional stability.

DND Office for Cyber and Information System Management (OCISM) Director Christine June Cariño stressed the importance of strengthening cyber resilience and improving information-sharing mechanisms to counter evolving cyber threats. 

She pointed to Canada’s National Cyber Threat Assessment as a valuable model for enhancing cybersecurity strategies, particularly in support of the newly established Armed Forces of the Philippines Cyber Command.

Meanwhile, DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with outgoing Japanese defense attaché Col. Akiba Kazuaki and his replacement, Col. Aizawa Naoki, on March 12 at the DND building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Teodoro expressed appreciation for Akiba’s contributions to strengthening defense ties between the Philippines and Japan. 

During his tenure, bilateral defense relations achieved significant milestones, including the signing of the Philippines-Japan Terms of Reference (TOR) on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) and the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA).

The discussion also covered key developments from Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen’s visit to the Philippines from February 22 to 24. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing defense cooperation, with a strong focus on maritime security.

Teodoro expressed optimism that defense relations between the Philippines and Japan will continue to progress under Aizawa, particularly with the upcoming implementation of the RAA. He also extended his best wishes to Akiba in his future endeavors.