A RECENTLY signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) is envisioned to boost Philippine-Singaporean “digital cooperation.”
In a statement, Spokesperson-Undersecretary Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said her meeting with Ambassador Gerard Ho Wei Hong was about “further areas of cooperation,” and the MOU rollout.
“We discussed with Ambassador Ho how we can implement [the] MOU, and which areas we should focus on,” Lamentillo said. “Singapore has so much experience in the area of e-governance and cyber security, and they can share with us their best practices in [the said] areas.”
The memorandum on digital cooperation was formalized during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s state visit to the city-state last year. It was signed by DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy as well as Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on September 7, 2022.
“The MOU covers…cooperation on digital connectivity, particularly in interoperable systems and frameworks that enable electronic documentation; cyber security, such as organizing training courses and technical programs through the Asean-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence to develop and enhance skills related to cyber security; [plus digital government and e-governance, such as those] in the areas of digital-government strategy, digital-government services, and digital identity,” she revealed.
The memorandum also spans exchanges of knowledge, technical expertise, and best practices on measures related to scam calls short-message services or SMS/texts, and those pertaining to personal data protection.
It also seeks to create cooperation on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud computing, Internet of Things, big data, analytics, and robotics, among others.
“There will also be cooperation and exchange of knowledge to boost the digital innovation ecosystem—including connecting business owners with potential solution providers; exploring cooperation on digital capability and capacity-building programs; [as well as] exchange of knowledge and best practices on digital infrastructure,” Lamentillo confirmed.