Malacañang, Manila – the Office of the President has advised all government agencies to fortify their websites and shield them from cyber crimes.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma, in a press briefing at Malacañang on Thursday, said that the government will invest sufficient funds to acquire a more resilient and resistant software that guarantees the security of government websites. He likewise said that the websites of the different government agencies are vital channels of communication, thus the need to strengthen and secure them.
It is observed, however, that when one channel or one link is down, then the entire chain is weakened. Thus, all sites must be closely monitored and must be up at all times so that the chain would be complete and connected. This communication chain is essential in line with the President’s advocacy of transparency since the various government agencies are contributing information to the President’s website at http://www.president.gov.ph.
Last week, the website of the Philippine Information Agency was reportedly hacked. However, the hacking, according to Coloma, was not sufficient to breach the firewall and it simply resulted in a temporary shutting down of the website.
But even with that initial finding, it is still believed that there is a room for improving the security of the government websites.
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