DICT: Philippines cybersecurity rating improves

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is advancing in cybersecurity after its rating improved in the UN Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The DICT yesterday lauded the country’s index score of 93.49, compared to 77 in the 2020 GCI report, which allowed the country to jump from Tier 3 to Tier 2.

Countries belonging to Tier 3 are establishing cybersecurity measures across five pillars: legal, technical, organizational, capacity development and cooperation.

The Philippines’ ranking also jumped to 53 from 61.

“This is a huge achievement for the Philippines. It shows that our hard work to protect Filipinos online is bearing fruit, but we are not stopping here. We are on the brink of being a global leader in cybersecurity and we will continue working to safeguard our digital world,” said DICT Secretary John Ivan Uy.

The agency attributed the improved GCI rating to President Marcos’ issuance in April of Executive Order 58, which adopted the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028 of the DICT.

Joining Tier 1 countries is the next goal of the DICT, according to DICT Undersecretary for infostructure management, cybersecurity and upskilling Jeffrey Ian Dy.

“We are confident that if we implement the NCSP 2023-2028 correctly and we pass the Cybersecurity Bill now being drafted by the Office of the Executive Secretary and the DICT, we can be in Tier 1 in the next two years,” Dy told The STAR.