‘Upstaging’ among agencies hinders cyber security By Andrea E. San Juan
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HE Philippines still lags behind its Southeast Asian peers in terms of putting in place efforts to combat cyber attacks, as the country is currently trapped in a “political situation” where government agencies are “upstaging” each other instead of executing the cybersecurity plan, according to experts. At the General Membership Meeting of the Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines (BMAP), themed, “Secured Engagement: Turning Cybersecurity
DAWN OF HOPE Confetti flutters through the dark predawn “Salubong” at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao. As the first light of Easter breaks, Filipinos reenact the meeting of the risen Christ and the Virgin Mary, a tradition celebrating life’s triumph over death. Amid rising costs and economic challenges, the scene reminds us of renewal, resilience, and hope for brighter days ahead. NONOY LACZA
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to Customer Trust,” cybersecurity experts explained why the Philippines is still playing catch-up in ramping up efforts to ensure cybersecurity in the country. Philip Kwa, Advisory Council Member at Philippine National Policy (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group, pointed out: “From a foreign perspective, I think, although the Philippines has improved, we’re still very far compared to Southeast Asian neighbors. But, frankly, the political situation doesn’t really help.” Kwa is also Academic Program Director for the Master of Cybersecurity at Asian Institute of Management (AIM).
“If you look at the cybersecurity ecosystem, is [Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) the one making the decision? Or is it CICC? Or is it [Philippine National Police] PNP? The cybersecurity agency here is actually a council. It’s a council of four or five different organizations. And when you have four or five different organizations, everybody wants to play the hero, right?” added Kwa. Kwa emphasized that there is no “very clear cut mandate” within the Philippine government as to which agency has the mission to execute the main plan to address
cyber threats. “That doesn’t really help...unless there is a mandate to come about and say: ‘Okay, DICT is responsible for this...a very clear-cut mandate,” Kwa said, adding: “Today we don’t see that. The plans are in place, but who is going to execute the plan?” Moreover, the cybersecurity expert said leadership changes in key government agencies tasked to implement the country’s cybersecurity plan hinder the country from progressing. “And now you heard the news about the new secretary who just See “Upstaging,” A2
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BMI DOWNGRADES PHL FORECAST ON WAR RISKS www.businessmirror.com.ph
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Monday, April 6, 2026 Vol. 21 No. 174
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
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PEZA URGES FIRMS TO ADOPT WFH AS ENERGY RISKS RISE
ROLONGED geopolitical tensions stemming from the Middle East conflict are expected to weigh more heavily on the Philippines’s economic growth, prompting an international research firm to downgrade its forecast.
BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, now expects the country’s full-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth to settle at 4.7 percent, down by 0.4 percentage points from its earlier projection of 5.1 percent. The downgrade reflects BMI’s shift to its “extend to end” scenario, where the conflict is seen dragging on for several more weeks and keeping global oil prices elevated. Under this scenario, crude prices could rise to between $130 and $150 per barrel in the near term before easing as supply disruptions begin to normalize. The firm explained that these higher global oil prices have already started feeding into domestic fuel costs, with diesel and gasoline prices rising sharply compared to preconflict levels. BMI warned that elevated fuel costs will likely have a spillover on household purchasing power, consumption and economic growth. “Government measures to curb energy consumption—including four-day work week for public sector workers— will add further to this drag,” it added. BMI noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s declaration of a national See “BMI,” A2
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By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
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HE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has encouraged registered firms to apply for work-from-home (WFH) arrangements of up to 50 percent as the government moves to manage energy use amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. PEZA said locators may secure a Letter of Authority (LOA) to implement partial WFH setups while awaiting further guidelines from the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) on arrangements that would allow more than half of employees to work remotely.
The move follows a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to conserve energy and mitigate the potential impact of global developments on domestic supply, particularly as uncertainty over fuel availability persists. PEZA has also formally requested the FIRB to allow up to 100 percent WFH arrangements, especially for companies in the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector, which can operate remotely with minimal disruption. The proposed expansion is anchored on the business continuity provisions of the CREATE MORE law, which See “PEZA,” A2
GRAIN RELIEF Residents of Las Piñas and Bacoor, Cavite, line up at the Las Piñas public market to buy NFA rice at just P20 per kilo, with a 5-kg
limit per person. As local supply gaps push the Philippines toward higher rice imports, programs like this aim to ease food costs for families already feeling inflation’s bite. NONIE REYES
Oil, gas venture with China, but with 60-40 safeguard, OK–Ping By Butch Fernandez
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HE notion of a joint oil, gas exploration with China, as part of the administration’s options to deal with the ongoing risks to global oil supply arising from the conflict in the Middle East received support from a Senate leader at the weekend.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson had a “60-40 safeguard” qualifier, however, in his statement on Sunday saying the Marcos administration should consider exploring joint energy ventures with China, including in the West Philippine Sea. Any such arrangement, Lacson stressed, must strictly comply with the See “Oil,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 60.6780 n JAPAN 0.3824 n UK 80.2709 n HK 7.7402 n CHINA 8.8091 n SINGAPORE 47.1909 n AUSTRALIA 41.8678 n EU 70.1316 n KOREA 0.0404 n SAUDI ARABIA 16.1704 Source: BSP (April 1, 2026)