PHILIPPINE CONSULATE OFFICIALS PARTICIPATE IN US-ASEAN CYBERSECURITY ROUNDTABLE AT SIDELINES OF RSA CONFERENCE 2025
San Francisco, California – Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes, Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, and Trade Commissioner Anne Marie Kristine Umali represented the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco at a high-level roundtable discussion on “US Cybersecurity Priorities and ASEAN Engagement,” organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council on 30 April 2025. The event was held at Cisco’s San Francisco office on the sidelines of the RSA Conference 2025, a premier global event for cybersecurity professionals. The roundtable convened key stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
Mr. Andrew Koch, Director of Membership at the US-ASEAN Business Council, opened the event by emphasizing the critical role of international cooperation in advancing cyber resilience and regulatory coordination.
Mr. Eric Wenger, Senior Director for Cyber and Emerging Tech Policy at Cisco, welcomed the attendees and introduced the keynote speaker, Ms. Liesyl Franz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security at the U.S. Department of State.
DAS Franz highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity as a foreign policy issue, emphasizing Southeast Asia’s strategic relevance in U.S. cyber engagements. She underscored the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy’s ongoing initiatives, including recent meetings in Manila under the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and upcoming dialogues and workshops focused on enhancing regional cyber capabilities and promoting responsible state behavior in cyberspace.
She praised the role of the private sector, including Cisco’s contribution to the ASEAN Cybersecurity Assessment Model, and called on industry leaders to continue supporting capacity-building efforts in the region. DAS Franz also detailed U.S. programs such as training for prosecutors in the Philippines to better handle cybercrime cases.
Three key priorities outlined by DAS Franz included:
- Holding malicious cyber actors accountable,
- Enhancing information sharing and diplomatic cooperation on cyber threats, and
- Building capacity through training and knowledge exchange.
The Philippine delegation reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening international cybersecurity collaboration and welcomed continued engagement with U.S. counterparts and industry leaders in building a secure and resilient digital ecosystem in ASEAN. END
(Photo courtesy of US-ASEAN Business Council)