DICT exec foresees high demand for cybersecurity professionals

Genalyn Macalinao (rightmost), DICT Cybersecurity Bureau Policy head, answers questions from the media during a press conference on cybersecurity on Thursday at the City Sports Club Cebu. CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) projected a high demand for cybersecurity professionals as more institutions engage in intelligent processes of digitization.

Genalyn Macalinao, DICT Cybersecurity Bureau Policy head, said most companies in the Philippines, especially those engaged in providing basic commodities like power, transportation and health have started to integrate in software infrastructures.

“With this developments, we also see that these companies face threats from those who are inclined to commit cybercrimes. To address this, there is a need for us to have more cyber professionals,” said Macalinao.

Macalinao said they have been urging higher education institutions (HEIs) to offer a bachelor’s degree program to produce cybersecurity professionals in the coming years.

A curriculum for Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity has been developed by DICT based on the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies programs.

“We are urging that they offer the programs, especially schools with autonomous status because they do not need to wait for CHED approval already. There is one school that expressed intention to offer the program but CHED has yet to approve it,” said Macalinao.

“We hope that the schools will be interested in offering such a program because this will not only benefit the government but also the private sector and the businesses that fuel our economy,” Macalinao added.

Macalinao added that with the trend in the integration to cyberspace, promising opportunities await those who will have professional training in cybersecurity.

“In the US, they project that they will need about 300,000 cybersecurity professionals by next year. Translating that to local demand, just imagine how much we would need in the future considering that most companies have gone to the web,” Macalinao said.