PLDT and its wireless unit, Smart Communications, Inc. recently hosted COMELEC officials led by Commissioner Nelson Celis at its Security Operations Center in Makati, Philippines, where the group discussed its cybersecurity technology, processes, and culture to boost poll security.
Preparing for the first National Election Summit this year, the COMELEC has conducted consultations with relevant agencies on cybersecurity.
“PLDT and Smart recognize the critical role that we play in the Filipinos’ right of suffrage. In the past automated elections, we have provided a secure channel for critical information to pass through. We support the COMELEC in providing Filipinos with clean and honest elections,” said Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer.
“The Automated Election System has demonstrated its capabilities to run a secure and efficient process. As we move deeper to the digital age, we always strive to boost our capabilities to protect the Filipinos’ vote and to ensure that they continue to trust our elections,” said COMELEC Commissioner Nelson Celis.
During the roundtable discussion, PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group shared its best practices to protect the telcos’ assets and customers against threats and disruptive attacks. Redoble also went on to elaborate how these capabilities can help make the polls more secure and efficient, ultimately protecting the integrity of the country’s elections.
PLDT Enterprise, the corporate business arm of the PLDT Group, also brought up available solutions that can be tweaked to satisfy COMELEC’s requirements. The unit is willing to collaborate with the agency on data storage and management while the poll body cements plans for its own facility. PLDT Enterprise’s suite of services cater to some of the biggest companies here and abroad.
