DICT to bid out cybersecurity deal

PRIVATE develop and manage the government’s cybersecurity infrastructure, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said.

Bidding is expected to be opened in October or November, Undersecretary Eliseo Rio said on Monday.

“We need to have it managed, years, ( so we can have) cybersecurity system … hopefully by the end of year,” Rio said.

“With that, we can monitor attacks coming in and warn our people…,” he added.

“We need a very reputable, respected and well-known company…,” Rio continued, saying this could either be a foreign or domestic entity.

Funding will come from the DICT’s 2018 budget and an immediate bidding will move the approval process forward, he said.

“[ money, bidding (once the money is there and somebody has won the bidding), we can give the notice to proceed

(so that there will be no) delay,” Rio said.

DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima quit last week, citing corruption and interference as reasons, but Rio said they still expected him to keep running the department until a replacement is named.

“As far as we are concerned, until the President appoints an OIC Mr. Salalima is still the DICT Secretary,” Rio said.