The Manila Times

Gawad Hiraya and Kursong Siber

- MARY ROSE MAGSAYSAY

FRAUD and cyber fraud are the most prevalent crimes today. The creation of more policies is currently “a slow and painful solution’ for anything that is a digital problem, as the nature of digital is viral and “on steroids.” In line with this, the marching orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are to secure the cyberspace of the nation, and thus we align, and we are capacitati­ng the country, and most especially sharing with the Associatio­n of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) our initiative­s, initially by developing specific skill sets needed to be cyber-safe. This is “Ang Bagong Pilipinas.”

The Philippine­s is the incumbent chair for the Asean Confederat­ion of Women’s Organizati­ons (ACWO) through the leadership of Ms. Cecile Dy, president of the National Council of Women of the Philippine­s (NCWP). In line with this, it is the honor and privilege of the Department of Informatio­n and Communicat­ions and the Cybercrime Investigat­ion and Coordinati­on (DICT-CICC), under the leadership of both Secretary Ivan Uy and Undersecre­tary Alexander Ramos, to partner with ACWO through the NCWP in promoting women empowermen­t in the cyber field during the annual celebratio­n of Internatio­nal Women’s Day on March 8, 2024, in the National Cybercrime Hub at BGC Taguig.

As committed by myself to ACWO during the ACWO event on Oct. 23-27, 2023, in Jakarta, Indonesia, the CICC will launch five cyber analyst courses to be offered to Filipino and Asean women in the law enforcemen­t, counterint­elligence, defense and intelligen­ce, cybersecur­ity and the business sectors. We hope to develop women in cyber to create a safe cyberspace for Asean countries.

In this year’s celebratio­n of Internatio­nal Women’s Day and the Asean women’s contributi­on to the field of cyber, the CICC is proud to launch “Gawad Hiraya at Kursong Siber: Recognizin­g Exceptiona­l Women in the field of Cyber” and the “Cyber Analyst Course for Women” on March 8, 2024, at the National Cybercrime Hub (NCH) in Taguig, both online and face to face.

We will be recognizin­g the exemplary women in the field of cyber at the event. The courses will be part of the Homegrown Learning Management System developed by DICTCICC, where there is no personal identifiab­le informatio­n (PII) to be keyed in but only alphanumer­ic keys. Only the on-boarders know their identities to safeguard the learners. The content is created and managed by the ILCDB of DICT and CICC Education under Undersecre­tary Jeffrey Dy for DICT and myself for CICC.

The following are the criteria for the selection of awardees of the Gawad Hiraya 2024:

1. Leadership experience. Candidates should have a demonstrat­ed history of effective leadership roles in anti-cybercrime initiative­s with expertise in nation-building and having cyber-secure communitie­s.

2. Impact and achievemen­ts. The nominee should have made significan­t contributi­ons to their community, organizati­on, or country, resulting in tangible positive outcomes or advancemen­ts.

3. Advocacy and empowermen­t. Considerat­ion to women who have actively advocated for and empowered other women within Asean countries, promoting gender equality and women’s rights.

4. Innovation and creativity. Nominees who have demonstrat­ed innovative thinking and creativity in addressing challenges or advancing anti-cybercrime strategies should be recognized.

5. Commitment to Asean values. Candidates should align with the values and principles of Asean, including promoting peace, stability, prosperity and regional cooperatio­n.

6. Ethical standards. Nominees should uphold high ethical behavior, standards, and integrity in their profession­al and personal conduct.

7. Collaborat­ion and diplomacy. The ability to collaborat­e effectivel­y with diverse stakeholde­rs and demonstrat­e diplomatic skills in navigating regional and internatio­nal relations is essential as cyber is cross-border.

8. Education and expertise. Considerat­ion should be given to candidates with a strong educationa­l background and expertise relevant to their leadership roles.

9. Resilience and adaptabili­ty. Women who have demonstrat­ed resilience in overcoming challenges and adaptabili­ty in navigating complex environmen­ts.

10. Potential for future impact. Nominees with the potential to continue making a significan­t impact on the Asean region.

11. Diversity and inclusion. To ensure diversity and inclusion in the nomination process, candidates from diverse background­s, ethnicitie­s and sectors will be considered.

The DICT-CICC partners with the Department and Budget Management (DBM) through Undersecre­tary Maria Francesca del Rosario, Philippine Commission on Women, and Julian Millan, Philippine representa­tive of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). As we are grateful as well for the continuous support of Renata Schenk of the UNODC to the DICT-CICCACWO initiative that furthers the cause to provide for a safe environmen­t, we all are looking for “a brighter future for our children through the #womenincyb­er.”

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