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Senate probe sought amid series of cyberattacks vs gov't agencies
Senate probe sought amid series of cyberattacks vs gov't agencies
By Dhel Nazario
Sen. Mark Villar called on the Senate to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation following a recent cyberattack against the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and all the other attacks against government websites.
Villar filed Resolution No. 811 before the Senate directing the appropriate Senate Committee to look into the incident, condemning it stating that the attack compromises private information and the health of the public.
“Ang atake na ito ay hindi lamang isang malaking kaso ng information theft. Ito ay bahagi ng malawakang atake laban sa (This attack is not only a huge case of information theft. This is part of a widespread attack against) public health and welfare because these attacks compromise the medical information of the members of PhilHealth,” the Senator said.
The senator also asserts that the more than 24-hour downtime of the PhilHealth system during the attack has endangered the capacity of its members and beneficiaries to seek immediate medical assistance.
“Ang cyber attack laban sa PhilHealth ay hindi lamang atake laban sa isang institusyon ng gobyerno. Ito ay atake laban sa bawat indibidwal na miyembro ng PhilHealth at sa kanilang karapatan sa secured at accessible na tulong medikal (This cyberattack against PhilHealth is not only an attack against one government institution. This is an attack against every individual member of PhilHealth and their right to secured and acessible medical assistance),” the senator said.
Villar expressed his growing concern about the series of cyber attacks against different government institutions
“It is high time that we strengthen our cyberspace security as we are dealing with private and delicate information that could endanger, not just of one institution, but of the general Filipino public,” Senator Mark Villar emphasized.
The senator, a staunch advocate for heightened security in digital cyberspace, stands in his firm belief that the regulation of cyberspace is timely and relevant, considering the increasing cases of cyber attacks on government agencies and the cases of online fraud against consumers.