UP ITDC Conducts 3-Day Cybersecurity Training for UP’s ICT Units

The University of the Philippines Information Technology Development Center (UP ITDC) successfully conducted a three-day Cybersecurity Training on 19–21 May 2026 at the UP Computer Center in Diliman, Quezon City. The invited resource speakers were Mr. Ecequiell Gabatin, ICT Compliance Officer from the Department of Information and Communications Technology - CAR (DICT-CAR), and Mr. David Isaiah Abrio, Security Operations Center Analyst.

Day 1: The Philippine Threat Landscape
The opening session focused on leveraging Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Reports and National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) Advisories. Participants learned how to analyze raw advisories, filter indicators relevant to university systems, and examine anonymized case studies of local breach incidents.

Day 2: ISO 27001 ISMS and Asset-Based Risk Assessment
The second day emphasized transitioning from generic, westernized frameworks to localized, asset-based risk management practices. Discussions covered the principles of threat identification, risk assessment, and establishing international competence through ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).

Day 3: Risk Treatment and Incident Response Integration
The final session highlighted how risk treatment plans shape incident response strategies. It also provided a high-level overview of the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCSP), contextualized for university and local application.

The discussions tackled are also integral to a major compliance requirement: the Revised Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) for Fiscal Years 2028-2030, mandated by the DICT.

The DRBCP (Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan), which is Annex 2 of the ISSP submission, is now a core mandatory component for organizational resilience. This training aimed to be a mechanism to fulfill its requirements, which includes the Asset Identification/Inventory and Threat Profiling/Risk Scoring, and the Risk Treatment Plan.

The training gathered 37 participants, including Dr. Francis Dimzon, Director of the UP Visayas Digital Innovation Center (DIC), Mr. Arnel Distor, Chief of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) IT Office, Mr. Allan Amistoso, Head of the UP Tacloban Office of the System Administrator, and representatives from UP’s constituent university IT offices and the UP Intelligent Systems Center (UP ISC).

This initiative reflects UP’s strong commitment to advancing its digital transformation agenda. It supports the vision of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez to modernize institutional workflows, strengthen cybersecurity awareness, and position the University as a national leader in digital innovation.

(Levi Lusterio, ITDC, 2 June 2026)