MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured the public Wednesday that “systems are in place” to detect and deter cyberattacks, including hacking attempts targeting the country’s government systems. 

DICT confirms 'persistent' cyberattacks targeting offices under executive branch

Bloomberg News had reported that Chinese state-sponsored hackers allegedly breached the executive branch of the Philippine government and stole sensitive data “in the years-long campaign.”

On Tuesday, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) confirmed the "persistent" cyberattacks on some government websites since 2023, from groups whose methods and techniques were linked to Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. 

Asked to comment on the issue, the military neither confirmed nor denied the report.

Instead, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said that cyberattacks were a daily occurrence.

“Nandiyan ang threats sa cyber domain. But what is important is that we are able to detect and deter these attacks,” Padilla explained. “We have intrusion detection systems in place and intrusion prevention systems in place.”

'Battlefield is changing': Marcos orders military to gear up for 'digital warfare'

Padilla added that the military is currently coordinating with partner nations and maintaining close collaboration with government agencies, such as the DICT.

The AFP has also been enhancing its cyber defenses through coordination and exercises.

“Cybersecurity is a concern of everybody. In terms of the AFP, we have been trying to tweak our organization to the contemporary new challenges,” Padilla said.

“In the past months, we have activated our Cyber Command. Kasama na diyan in tandem with our Intelligence Command,” she added.

China has previously denied backing cybersecurity attacks against perceived foes such as the US and Taiwan, calling the claims "groundless."

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. last year ordered the military and other security officials to beef up its skills to combat "new forms" of threat, particularly the emergence of digital warfare.

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