MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said the government is intensifying efforts to counter cyberattacks and curb the spread of misinformation as part of a directive from the President, Feb. 20, 2026.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a press briefing at Malacañang that the government must confront cyber threats while misinformation is worsening and being used to victimize innocent civilians.

“Ayon din sa kautusan ng Pangulo, kailangan talaga nating labanan itong mga cyberattacks na ito,” Castro said. 

Castro also pointed to the government’s push to strengthen cybersecurity ties with allies, including Canada and Japan, as threats evolve.

The Department of National Defense (DND) said Undersecretary Angelito De Leon, officer in charge of the Office of the Undersecretary for Information Systems and Cybersecurity, met Feb. 18 with Sami Khoury, Canada’s senior official for cybersecurity at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), to strengthen cooperation in the cyber and information domains.

Discussions included regular exchanges of strategic cyber threat intelligence, updates on evolving threats, joint training and professional exchanges, and learning from best practices in cyber governance, operational coordination, and resilience-building to enhance national cyber capabilities and readiness, officials said.