The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured the public of its capability to detect and prevent cyber intrusions, including hacking attempts targeting the country's systems.
AFP Spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla made the statement at Camp Aguinaldo amid allegations that Chinese hackers accessed and stole military data from the Office of the President (OP).
Padilla added that the AFP is currently coordinating with allied nations and maintaining close collaboration with other government agencies, such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
However, the AFP did not confirm reports on whether hackers successfully accessed the system and retrieved classified information.
Last year, a cyber command was formed within the AFP, in collaboration with its intelligence command.
Padilla, who is also a cybersecurity expert, described such attempts as a daily occurrence and a common event in today's times.
"Malalim na rin ‘yung coordination natin with different agencies because cybersecurity is the concern of everybody and hindi lang siya sa AFP," said Padilla.
On Tuesday, a Bloomberg article reported that Chinese state-sponsored hackers allegedly breached the executive branch of the Philippine government and stole sensitive data as part of a "years-long campaign".
Prior to the Bloomberg report, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. highlighted during the AFP anniversary command conference in December that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had directed the prioritization of cyber defense.
