Progressive group Akbayan urged the government on Sunday, Sept. 24, to immediately resolve the cyber attack on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), proposing that Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential funds be redirected toward strengthening cybersecurity measures.
"We call on the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to act swiftly and resolve this breach immediately," Akbayan Party spokesperson Perci Cendaña said.
"We also call on the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) to work with the DICT to identify the people responsible and bring them to justice," he added.
Citing media reports, Akbayan said the Medusa ransomware group demanded PhilHealth a ransom of US$300,000 to release its stolen online data.
However, the Philippine government said it "denied" paying the ransom.
Meanwhile, PhilHealth in a statement on Sept. 23 assured the public that its website will be restored at the "soonest possible time.”
Akbayan emphasized the importance of investing in cybersecurity and digital literacy within the government, highlighting that "more than 65 million Filipinos are direct contributors to PhilHealth. "
It added that especially since President Marcos pushed for complete government digitization in March this year.
"Even as the government embraces technology, it should train its personnel to understand and anticipate the new forms of risk that come with it,” Cendaña said.
"Kasabay nito, dapat ding tiyakin ng mga kinauukulan na patuloy pa rin ang pagdaloy ng PhilHealth services para sa beneficiaries, lalo na sa mga nangangailangan (At the same time, those concerned must also ensure that PhilHealth services continue to use by beneficiaries, especially those in need),” he added.
Akbayan proposed that Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential funds be redirected towards strengthening cybersecurity measures.
“The Office of the Vice President does not really need this,” he added.
“It is more appropriate to put this fund in agencies like PhilHealth and DICT to be used in ensuring that the people's information is safe and private,” he also said, noting that the “stakes of digital security are real and cannot be ignored.”