PICSPro pushes for cybersecurity reforms

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By TechWatch PH Staff

The Philippine Institute of Cyber Security Professionals (PICSPro) is urging government and industry leaders to accelerate long overdue reforms in the country’s cybersecurity framework, warning that recent intrusions into government systems show how vulnerable the nation has become.

PICSPro Chairman Angel Redoble said the Philippines must finally move away from reactive, fragmented, and ceremonial approaches to cybersecurity. He emphasized that PICSPro’s vision is to build a secure, resilient, and globally competitive digital environment for every Filipino, grounded on strong laws, capable institutions, and a skilled cybersecurity workforce.

“What we are seeing today is the result of years of underinvestment, lack of coordination, and misplaced priorities,” Redoble said. “Cybersecurity is national security, economic security, and public safety. We cannot treat it as a PR exercise.”

Redoble said this vision drives PICSPro’s multi-pillar framework, which advocates for globally aligned legislation, standardized security protocols, coordinated national incident-response systems, and continuous human-capacity development. He noted that without these foundations, the Philippines will remain highly vulnerable to both domestic and international cyber threats.

Redoble criticized the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for what he described as “serious lapses” in readiness, pointing particularly to the much-publicized Cyberdome project. He said that despite public claims of enhanced monitoring and defense, the past months have shown that government systems remain “alarmingly exposed.”

Redoble said the first warning signs were already evident in publicly available reports earlier this year, when news outlets cited disclosures from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) about a massive data compromise involving a national government agency. The breach, which reportedly involved a large volume of sensitive information, was widely viewed by experts as an indication of a serious security lapse. Redoble noted that, based on these reports, an incident of that magnitude should have prompted an immediate and comprehensive government-wide audit—but no such coordinated action was taken.

He added that subsequent media coverage drew attention to intelligence assessments from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), which had monitored a growing number of intrusions targeting high-level government institutions. Despite the DICT’s public promotion of the Cyberdome project as the country’s front-line monitoring system, Redoble said these reports showed that critical agencies remained exposed. The concerns intensified when news accounts detailed a coordinated defacement of multiple government websites—including those of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC)—an incident described by analysts as one of the most organized attacks in recent years.

Redoble said the situation further deteriorated as different news organizations and cybersecurity advocates reported successive claims by hacktivist groups that they had disrupted Philippine National Police (PNP) websites, accessed data from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) systems, and targeted platforms previously associated with the DPWH.

Based on these reports, he said it became clear that the Cyberdome’s touted capabilities were not translating into real-world protection. Redoble stressed that the pattern of breaches, as documented in the media, showed that the DICT was struggling to deliver the level of security expected of the country’s lead cybersecurity institution.

The problems intensified with successive attacks claimed by hacktivist groups that disrupted police websites, compromised sensitive databases, and hampered government operations. Redoble said these incidents revealed that the Cyberdome initiative was “more narrative than capability,” and that DICT failed to demonstrate the level of competence expected of the country’s lead cybersecurity agency.

In one of his strongest statements yet, Redoble warned:

“The country’s digital space is not safe with the current DICT leadership. The breaches that were reported prove that the systems meant to protect our government and our people are failing—and failing publicly.”

He added that the reports about the repeated intrusions into government databases and platforms should serve as a wake-up call, stressing that these are not isolated lapses but symptoms of deeper systemic weakness.

Redoble emphasized that PICSPro’s vision requires a whole-of-nation approach anchored on robust policy, consistent standards, reliable infrastructure, and a highly trained cybersecurity workforce. He said the Philippines must also strengthen international cooperation, as cyber threats today are transnational in nature.

“Our goal is to help the Philippines build a truly resilient cybersecurity ecosystem—one that protects our institutions, our economy, and our people,” Redoble said. “We need coordinated reforms, not a patchwork of projects. That is the only way to defend the country from the new generation of cyber threats.”

PICSPro is a nationwide, non-profit organization composed of cybersecurity practitioners, educators, researchers, law-enforcement partners, and technology professionals. It advocates for the highest level of cybersecurity standards in the Philippines by advancing updated legislation, developing national security protocols, strengthening institutional capabilities, and building a globally competitive Filipino cybersecurity workforce. PICSPro is known for its training programs, national and regional chapters, academic partnerships, and multi-sector collaborations aimed at improving the country’s overall cyber resilience.