Senate deputy minority leader Senator Risa Hontiveros has urged the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the alarming rise in social media-related hacking, illegal access and other cybercrime incidents.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 777, Hontiveros said “the offices of individual senators have received a number of complaitns from constituents about an alarming rise in social media accounts inexplicably being hacked, taken over and used for nefarious purposes, including pornography and fraud.”

Early this year, the senator said the YouTube live stream channel of Radio Veritas was hacked, while in March, the Facebook page of the Diocese of Antipolo and the accounts of its priests were also hacked.

She also said that just recently, the Facebook accounts of the Diocese of Kidapawan and its bishop were targeted and misused to share explicit content and to attempt to swindle funds.

Hontiveros noted the Philippines has existing laws governing cybersecurity issues, particularly Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 which safeguards the integrity of computer systems, networks and databases from all forms of misuse, abuse and illegal access.

The Anti-Cybercrime law also provides stringent penalties against cybercrimes and other computer-related offenses.

Congress has also passed into law RA No. 10844 of the law that created the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) through the DICT Act of 2015 which gives the agency the responsibility of ensuring and protecting the rights of information and communications technology users.

The DICT is also in charge of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) created under the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

“Despite the above-stated laws, users of information and communications technology, specifically social media accounts and pages, are unable to find prompt and sufficient recource to prevent and abate these breaches in cybersecurity and the resulting damage,” she stated in the resolution.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved… to call for the appropriate committee of the Senate…to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation, into the increasing incidence of social media-related hacking, illegal access and breaches of cybersecurity,” Hontiveros said.