[EXPLAINER | Cybersecurity] Digitalizing womb-to-tomb gov’t services

Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo, president of Philippine Institute of Cybersecurity Professionals, talks to BusinessWorld reporter Patricia B. Mirasol about data privacy, data protection, and data breaches.

TAKEAWAYS
Digitalization should serve citizens from ‘womb to tomb.’

The national ID is the first step in a long journey toward consolidating government data, said Mr. Acedillo, who pushed digitalization as a means for integrated womb-to-tomb government services.

“What if — from the get-go — you are already in that system?” he said. “Isn’t it a beautiful thing for the government to be able to — not just to provide services for you — but also anticipate your needs over the course of your lifetime? That, to me, ultimately should be the goal of government digitalization.”

The push for digitalization has to be accompanied by cybersecurity laws.

“While you digitalize, you also increase your security. They need to go hand in hand,” said Mr. Acedillo. “I’d like to see government legislate more of these things.”

We should spend more on cybersecurity.

“Best practices tell you that any organization — or in this case, the national government — should spend anywhere between 2-5% of its annual budget for cybersecurity. We are nowhere near that,” Mr. Acedillo said.

Recorded onsite at the GSIS Building on Oct. 6, four days before the SIM Card Registration Act was signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., on Oct. 10. Produced by Joseph Emmanuel L. Garcia, Earl R. Lagundino, and Sam L. Marcelo.