President Bongbong Marcos has adopted the Department of Information and Communication Technology’s six-year National Cybersecurity Plan to boost the country’s cyber defenses. This is in response to the spike of cyberattacks in the Philippines for the past two years.Thus, resulting in a nationwide revelation of how vulnerable the country is in the cyberspace.
One of the issues it wants to address is to bolster cybersecurity education. Under the plan’s Outcome 2, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) is aiming to re-establish the ICT Academy and institutionalize a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.
It also wants to team up with local and international training providers to help create online trainings and help cybersecurity professionals find jobs that align with their expertises.
Moreover, the plan wants to organize local and international “hacking competitions” as part of reinvigorating the cybersecurity local landscape.
But as Filipinos wait for this plan to roll out, it comes to question whether or not the quality of the country’s local tech talent pool is in definite need of help.
In an email interview with Jay Pegarido, country manager and director at Sansan Global Development Center Inc., he said that Filipino tech professionals demonstrate a “high level of creativity and problem solving ability.”
Pegarido also said that Fiilipino tech talents’ proficiency in the English language gives them an upper hand when it comes working with international teams.
“But when it comes to the depth of experience and exposure to cutting-edge technologies, there are areas where the Philippines is still catching up with countries like India and Singapore,” Pegarido said.
The country manager said that the challenge lies in ensuring that this talent pool not only continues to grow in size, but also in ensuring that it is equipped with the necessary skills and experience to compete in the global stage.
Last year, Pegarido was looking for 100 Filipino software engineers to hire for Sansan’s development center in Cebu. He reported that they were able to find 70 software engineers, and are stillaiming to scale up to more than 100.
He shared that the Filipino talent pool is extensive, and they had to be strategic in identifying and attracting invididuals with the necessary technical expertise, willingness to grow within their organization, and desire to contribute globally.
Furthermore, career prospects for local tech professionals have a wide array of opportunities, Pegarido said. From working in startups to working for long-standing multinational companies, Filipino tech talents can find and gain exposure to best practices there.
Solving the mismatch of in-demand jobs and skills
The remote style of working has “further broadened” the job landscape for Filipino tech talents, the country manager said. This has enabled them to work for international companies without leaving the country.
Pegarido, however, said that there are areas that need attention.
“While the Philippines produces a large number of IT graduates every year, the industry often reports a gap between the skills these graduates possess and the skills that are in demand,” He said.
The Economist Impact reported in 2023 that the Philippines is facing a shortage of 200,000 workers with IT skills. In the same study, employers were found to prefer applicants with enough knowledge on IT support and cybersecurity.
Today, DICT chief said that the country needs to fill up the 2 million jobs open for cybersecurity professionals.
“Addressing this gap will be crucial in sustaining the growth of the tech job market in the Philippines,” Pegarido said.
Meanwhile, Filipino engineers working on international projects, either remotely or through the local branches, have developed deeper understanding of how to apply their skills in real-world contexts.
Pegarido shared that Sansan’s development center in Cebu was able to bridge the gap between theory and practice. He shared that their training programs and mentorship help their software engineers to develop both technical and soft skills.
“But of course, there is still a lot of room for improvement, particularly in specialized areas where experience is crucial, such as advanced data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity,” He said.
He understood that, while overall trend is good, there is still the need to continue investing in training to ensure that Filipino engineers can compete “at the highest levels globally.”
