The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced the reopening of its corporate website and member portal, effective 12 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29.
These vital public-facing systems are once again "operational and available" to the general public through the Internet, PhilHealth said.
Likewise, the e-Claims system will be fully operational by the end of the day.
PhilHealth's system was targeted by Medusa ransomware on Sept. 22, prompting the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to advise the immediate shutdown of its application systems to prevent the virus spread.
PhilHealth also denied any allegations of leaked member data on the dark web, stating that the authenticity of these claims has not been confirmed.
Moreover, it reaffirmed the government's stance against accepting ransom demands from criminals.
PhilHealth assured the public of the integrity and security of its databases and assured members' entitlement to benefits will not be affected by the incident, stating interim measures have been implemented to ensure continued access.
“PhilHealth continues to collaborate closely with the DICT and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to resolve the situation,” it added.
It also engaged the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police in its efforts.
PhilHealth has reaffirmed its commitment to disciplinary action against those found negligent in their duties and appealed to the public's understanding and support.
It also urged certain groups and sectors to refrain from disseminating false or misleading information that could incite panic and distrust among members and stakeholders.
“The organization views this incident as an opportunity to further fortify its information security infrastructure to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” PhilHealth said. (Zekinah Elize Espina)