MANILA, May 30 – The Palace welcomed on Sunday the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) adoption of a proposal of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin calling for the establishment of a cyber security group in the region.
“Ikinagagalak natin ang pagpapahayag ng suporta ng ibang mga kalapit-bansa ng Pilipinas,” Communication Secretary Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said in a radio interview on Sunday.
“Sadyang mahalaga ‘yung pagkakaisa ng mga bansa sa pagpapatatag sa cyber security dahil nga sa lumalawak na — o lumalaganap na pagtatangka o aktwal na paglabag ng mga masasamang elemento sa mga umiiral na batas na kung saan ay pinagsasamantalahan sa pamamagitan ng digital technology ang sitwasyon,” he said.
Because this is global in scope, ensuring a more effective cyber security requires cooperation among nations, according to Coloma.
Cyber security is a major issue, he said, because it threatens not only every country’s national defense but also the economy as well as individual privacy of citizens.
The Department of National Defense (DND) said over the weekend that the proposal of Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to establish a cyber security group was approved by a panel of defense ministers of the ASEAN.
Gazmin’s proposal for the establishment of the cyber security group was adopted during the Asean Defense Ministers Meeting held on May 25 at Vientiane, Laos.
The DND said the working group will promote practical regional cooperation in addressing cyber security challenges. (PND)
