Philippines President Issues Executive Order to Strengthen Cybersecurity
On April 4, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 58, adopting the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP) 2023-2028 to serve as the country’s “whole-of-nation” roadmap to bolster the Philippines’ cyberspace under the oversight of the Department of ICT (DICT). NCSP 2023-2028 establishes cybersecurity minimum standards and promulgates guidelines and procedures for the accreditation of trusted Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) service providers, among others.
Critical infrastructure and critical information infrastructure are not included within the scope of NCSP 2023-2028. NCSP 2023-2028 notes the intent by DICT to develop an executive order on Critical Information Infrastructure Projection, pending the implementation of a Critical Information Infrastructure Protection law. Looking forward, the DICT also intends to work with government agencies to submit a proposed Cybersecurity Law to Congress to promote innovation and reduce barriers to compliance in cybersecurity.