PH, Estonia to forge stronger ties on e-governance, cybersecurity

Tallinn, Estonia — Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy and Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas agreed to strengthen collaborations between the Philippines and Estonia in areas of mutual interest, particularly in e-governance and cybersecurity.

During the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Tallinn Digital Summit (TDS) 2023 last September 5, 2023, Secretary Uy informed Prime Minister Kallas that the Philippines is already preparing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on digital cooperation, pending inputs from relevant stakeholders.

“The proposed MOU between the Philippines and Estonia will pave the way for future agreements in other fields of ICT, support the government’s digital transformation, and enhance the country’s cybersecurity posture,” Secretary Uy said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kallas expressed her anticipation for the signing of the MOU that will lay down the framework for future collaborations between the two countries.

Amid relentless global cyber threats, Prime Minister Kallas underscored Estonia’s commitment to upholding international law in cyberspace. This commitment was lauded by Secretary Uy who emphasized the pivotal role of international law in preventing cyberattacks.

The Philippines’ ICT Chief also mentioned the country’s intention to draft policies on AI and other frontier technologies, and that it looks forward to observing how the European Commission is developing similar policies.

Secretary Uy made history as the first DICT Secretary to lead the Philippine delegation to the TDS. The delegation from the Philippines was composed of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Jesus S. Domingo, DICT Undersecretary David L. Almirol, Jr., DFA Assistant Secretary Alan L. Deniega, Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Patricia Kayle S. Martin, and DICT Head Executive Assistant Patricia Nicole G. Uy. In Tallinn, they were joined by Ambassador Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz and Consul Alena Grace S. Borra from the Philippine Embassy (PE) in Warsaw, Poland which has jurisdiction over Estonia.

The TDS is an annual event that brings world leaders of digital nations together to chart the future of digitalization. This year, the Summit focused on the promotion of open, resilient, and responsive governance worldwide.

Estonia, one of the world’s digitally advanced countries, consistently places high in global indices in digital public services, cybersecurity, and internet penetration. This marks the first time that the Philippines is pursuing bilateral cooperation with Estonia on cybersecurity and digital transformation. Last December 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Prime Minister Kallas met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (ASEAN-EU) Commemorative Summit in Brussels, Belgium, and agreed on furthering the collaboration on digitalization and e-governance between the two countries.