The goal of ensuring digital inclusion includes not only providing access to the internet and ICT services, but also equipping citizens with digital skills to protect themselves from cyber threats.
Recently, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) was awarded for its cybersecurity education program and two other ICT projects during the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2023 hosted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy led the Philippine delegation that received the awards.
WSIS is a global contest developed to create a platform in recognition of the projects and activities that leverage the power of ICTs to advance sustainable development. This year, there are 18 winners for each category representing the various WSIS Action Lines as well as several champions for each category.
The project “Cybersecurity Education in the Philippines in the Face of New Normal Adversities” of DICT Region IX and BASULTA was declared the winner for Category 5 under WSIS Action Line 5 – Building Confidence and Security in Use of ICT.
DICT Region IX and BASULTA’s cybersecurity education program includes an in-house Learning Management System(LMS) where free cybersecurity courses are accessible online and on-demand. The LMS has already educated more than 23,000 individuals who finished with completion certificates. Moreover, the free cybersafety webinars livestreamed on Zoom and Facebook, which started in 2020, had digitally upskilled and awarded more than 50,000 individuals with completion certificates. The wide reach acquired through the new normal strategies played a vital role in this endeavor toward a safe, resilient, digitized nation.
Meanwhile, the ICT Industry and Development Bureau’s “Digital Governance Awards (DGA)” and the DICT IV-A and IV-B’s “Empowering Lives in Prison through Information and Communications Technology” were among the 72 champions of WSIS.
The DGA, which started in 2019, recognizes the outstanding efforts of municipalities, cities, and provinces in implementing digital transformation and deploying innovative ICT solutions within their communities.
The DGA shares the vision of establishing indices for local government units across the country in harnessing the potentials of ICT toward raising the bar in delivering public service.
The Empowering Lives in Prison through ICT is conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and aims to promote inclusivity in prisons through ICT access. This is a part of the DICT’s Technology Empowerment for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (Tech4ED) program, which aims to harness ICT resources and opportunities to bridge digital divide and alleviate poverty in unserved and underserved communities in the Philippines.
The Tech4ED Centers in prisons made it possible and convenient for persons behind bars to access wide range of ICT services despite their isolation, including the sustained provision of ICT skill trainings that ensures that persons deprived of liberty (PDL) are equipped and prepared for their return to society while enabling their smooth transition from incarceration to freedom.
The DICT is proud of these programs and these awards inspire the department to further strengthen its programs and efforts toward the pursuit of a truly digital nation.