Canada has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing cybersecurity cooperation, strengthening the Philippines’ cybersecurity landscape ahead of the May 2025 midterm elections.
The Canadian Embassy in the Philippines and Stratbase Institute launched a partnership to promote international collaboration for combating evolving cyber threats, particularly in electoral processes.
David Hartman, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines, highlighted, “There is tremendous potential for Canada and the Philippines, as well as other partners in the region, to collaborate on cybersecurity initiatives. Our countries can share best practices and lessons learned, work together on incident response, enhance capacity building, and advocate for responsible state behavior in cyberspace.”
Canada’s cooperation is rooted in its own experiences with cybersecurity challenges. Citing reign interference during Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections, Hartman noted that malicious activities, including disinformation campaigns and critical infrastructure attacks, pose significant risks to national security.
Hartman added, “Foreign state actors use the information space to interfere in Canada’s internal affairs and undermine our sovereignty. Canada is clear-eyed about the threat disinformation and online manipulation present, and we are very serious about responding to it.”
Stratbase Insititute’s President Dindo Manhit emphasized the growing use of digital platforms to spread disinformation online. Stressing the need for international collaboration to strengthen the cyber defense, Manhit stated, “We must continue working with like-minded partners, such as Canada, to share threat intelligence, facilitate technology transfers, and engage in trainings. Through these, we can fill any gaps in cyber defense. Leveraging the contributions and expertise of the government, private sector, civil society, and like-minded partners is crucial amid today’s evolving cyber landscape.”
