Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the “Philippine can contribute to regional and international effort” in building a safer cyberspace during a workshop conducted with the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

“Secretary Lorenzana expressed confidence that the overall quality of cybersecurity in the country can be raised and the Philippines can contribute to regional and international efforts to build a safer and more secure cyberspace by investing in our people, capabilities and international networks and cooperation,”” said Arsenio Andolong, DND public affairs service chief.

Lorenzana also emphasized the importance of collective effort on addressing cybercrimes.

“Because of the global nature of cybercrimes, no single nation can fight this alone. As cybercrimes increase, we must show our commitment to come up with more efficient and effective security measures to address this grave threat to our collective security,” he said.

Andolong said during the workshop Chafica Haddad, chairperson of the UNESCO/IFAP Intergovernmental Council “presented the current efforts by the international community, particularly UNESCO/IFAP in establishing effective measures to prevent online radicalization, and stimulate the use of Internet for peace, understanding and inter-cultural dialogue.”

Andolong said Haddad emphasized the importance of the participation of youth on addressing cybercrime and preventing violent extremism.

“When we talk about DarkNet, Internet and the prevention of violent extremism, one of the fundamental issues is related to youth and appropriate policies. Young people are key to reducing and eliminating radicalization,” she said.

“We need to get them involved, seek out their opinions, listen to them, and, above all, give them the tools they need to become involved and vigilant users of the internet”, she added. Robina Asido/DMS