Marcos ordered intensified action against cybercrime | #cybercrime | #infosec

FILE PHOTO: Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Benjamin Acorda reveals on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered intensified action against cybercrime. Photo from the Official Facebook page of PGen Benjamin Acorda Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered intensified efforts against cybercrime, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Benjamin Acorda revealed Tuesday.

In a Palace sectoral meeting, Acorda presented the national crime statistics to the President. According to the PNP chief, overall crime lowered by 10 percent but cybercrime increased in the last quarter of 2023.

“As instructed by our President, we are intensifying, we are capacitating our police officers on the ground,” Acorda said in a subsequent Palace briefing.

However, he admitted that the PNP’s Cybercrime Group is only operating on the regional level. Nevertheless, the President wants all concerned personnel to become well-equipped, Acorda added.

“This time, we are training our personnel and our objective is that down to the police station level/municipal level, we will have police officers who are trained to handle cybercrime or online crimes,” the country’s top police boss said.

In line with this, Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos said there will be a National Cybercrime Training Institute at the  Public Safety College.

“Siguro by next week or the most is a month, pipirmahan ko na ‘to – kumpleto na structure nito with the board of trustees, lahat. And this will cater primarily dito sa kapulisyahan natin,” Abalos disclosed.

(Maybe by next week or the most is a month, I will sign it – its complete structure with the board of trustees, everything. And this will cater primarily to our police.)

The Department of Information and Communications Technology recently bared that it thwarted cyberattacks on government websites that appeared to have come from China.

READ: DICT traces hack attempts to China

The cyber intrusion targeted the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Coast Guard, and President Marcos’ personal website, the government said.