THE House Committee on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), chaired by Rep. Migz Villafuerte, is fast-tracking the crafting of a comprehensive national cybersecurity and critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP) measure.
A technical working group (TWG) is currently consolidating 13 proposed cybersecurity bills and two CIIP bills into a single, unified framework aimed at bolstering the Philippines’ defenses amid escalating global cyber threats. Once finalized, the measure is expected to introduce stronger safeguards for government networks, vital industries, and essential digital services.
Villafuerte said the TWG is crafting a substitute bill “in a bid to come up with a comprehensive national framework to shield local institutions and digital systems from cyberattacks and ensure a more secure digital future for all Filipinos.”
During a recent hearing, he stressed the need for urgent legislation amid increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. “It is clear that robust and adaptive cybersecurity measures are no longer optional; they have become imperative for preserving and enhancing both our national security and economic stability,” he said. He also urged stakeholders to help ensure the final bill is effective and equitable, emphasizing their shared responsibility in shaping “a safer and more secure digital future for every Filipino.”
The TWG is consolidating cybersecurity bills—authored by various lawmakers including Reps. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, Jude Acidre, Keith Micah Tan, Bernadette Barbers, Gervile Luistro, Brian Poe, Emilio Bernardino Yulo, Javier Miguel Lopez Benitez, Bryan Revilla, Lani Mercado-Revilla, Ramon Jolo Revilla III, Yedda Marie Romualdez, Juan Carlos Atayde, and Salvador Pleyto—and CIIP bills by Reps. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo and Poe. This includes HB 2826, authored by Reps. Migz and Luigi Villafuerte, Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon.
The Villafuertes noted that recent global disruptions, such as those affecting X, Google and OpenAI following a Cloudflare outage, highlight the urgency of establishing a national cybersecurity framework. Even large security firms, they said, remain vulnerable.
Migz Villafuerte said the consolidated bill will: (1) strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to cyber threats, and (2) safeguard critical sectors such as banking, energy, telecommunications, health and transportation.
“Our committee expects the TWG to hammer out a consolidated bill on a national framework anchored on the adoption of minimum information security standards, to keep our vital sectors secure and resilient against disruptions that could undermine public safety and national stability. The task at hand is to preserve data privacy, strengthen digital defenses and ensure safety in our online environment,” he said after the meeting.
HB 2826 proposes a Cybersecurity Risk Management and Mitigation Fund (CRMMF) to support threat identification, incident response, system recovery and protection efforts. Thirty percent of the fund will serve as a Quick Response Fund for restoring affected CII.
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