MANILA — The recent cybersecurity incident has underscored the urgent need for MARINA to modernize its 2017-era digital infrastructure and establish a dedicated Disaster Recovery System, as the agency seeks funding for a nationwide technology refresh.

MARINA said its existing system has yet to undergo a comprehensive technical refresh, while the agency currently has no dedicated recovery system that can immediately take over in the event of a major system disruption.

𝐍𝐎 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃

MARINA said it detected multiple suspicious activities but found no data loss or indication that personal information was obtained.

“There was no loss of data, walang nakuhang data. Maraming attempts, maraming suspicious activities. Hindi nakuha ang personal data ninyo [seafarers],” MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan said.

The agency took the affected system offline as a precaution after detecting the repeated attempts.

The agency said the need to modernize its infrastructure had been identified as early as 2024, but the proposed upgrade has yet to be funded.

MARINA is seeking approximately ₱150 million for a nationwide technology refresh covering hardware replacement and software updates.

“With the increasing sophistication of hackers today, the system should have been updated. We have been requesting the budget for this since 2024, but it was not available,” MARINA said.

The proposed amount remains subject to changes based on prevailing prices and inflation.

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌

MARINA is also targeting the establishment of a Disaster Recovery System to ensure that critical maritime services can be quickly restored in the event of future cyberattacks or other major system disruptions.

The agency currently has no dedicated recovery system that can immediately take over in the event of a major system failure.

MARINA said securing the necessary funding for this system, amounting to ₱100 million, is critical to strengthening the resilience, security, and continuity of its digital services, particularly those supporting essential services for the country’s seafaring sector.

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