Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday, September 26 vowed to reinstate the cut in the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) proposed budget for next year in order to boost the country’s anti-cybercrime prevention laws.
Gatchalian noted that the NBI’s budget under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is down to P1.8-billion from 2022’s actual budget of P2.3-billion.
This means that the agency’s budget for its anti-cybercrime enforcement unit to P21.2-million is slashed to almost 20 percent compared to this year’s P26.4-million.
The senator warned a reduction in the NBI’s budget could adversely affect its anti-cybercrime operations especially at a time when illegal activities, such as identity theft, credit card fraud, and proliferation of spam and phishing messages, continue to rise.
It is also crucial to reinstate the cut in the NBI’s budget while the Senate awaits the passage of the SIM Registration bill into law.
“Cybercrimes are flourishing in many territories including the Philippines. I would like to see that the NBI is fully equipped and has the necessary resources, especially in its fight against cybercrimes,” said Gatchalian.
“We will do our best to reinstate the amount that was cut in the budget proposal,” he stressed.
Gatchalian said the imminent passage of the mandatory registration of SIMs is also expected to help the NBI effectively implement its anti-cybercrime campaign.
He said reducing the number of cybercrimes in the country would help enhance the digital revolution in the Philippines and strengthen economic recovery.
“Kailangan nating magbigay ng nararapat na suporta sa NBI upang mapigilan at matunton ang mga kawatan na lalo pang nagiging sopistikado na ngayon (We need to give the NBI the necessary support to stop and prosecute the cybercriminals especially since they are now getting sophisticated these days),” he explained.
“Kung nais nating paigtingin ng ahensiya ang pagpuksa sa cybercrimes, ibigay natin ang lahat ng nararapat na suporta dito (If we want the agency to be effective in eradicating cybercrimes, we need to give all the support they need),” Gatchalian stressed.