Philippines
Luzon
Bacolod police chief alarmed over collection of residents' personal info
Bacolod police chief alarmed over collection of residents' personal info
BACOLOD CITY – Police Col. Joeresty Coronica, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) chief, expressed concern over the unauthorized collection of sensitive information by a woman from residents in this city early this month.
CORONICA (Glazyl Masculino)
“It’s a possible threat to national security and a violation of data privacy, if there’s a complainant,” Coronica said in his first media briefing in this city.
Coronica directed station commanders to dig deeper and determine the proper action on the matter.
Police have identified the woman who was taking photos of residents’ IDs. No complaints have been filed since they agreed to provide personal information.
The woman was described to be Chinese-looking but would appear as a Filipina based on documents she presented.
Coronica directed intelligence personnel to identify individuals who sold personal information for P300 to P400.
“This is our way to validate it properly and to check if there is crime committed, so we can act accordingly,” he added.
“In the meantime, we will consider her as a Filipino while we continue to verify her identity,” said Coronica who refused to divulge more specific information about her.
Coronica said that with the advancement of technolgy, they do not discount the possibility that this could be linked to a syndicate because of various connections.
“All of us, not only the police, should be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities,” Coronica said.
The collection of information was first reported in Barangay Estefania, prompting Police Station 4 to verify the information and identify the woman.
The woman, however, did not specifically tell the police the reason of her action but said that it was for e-wallet transactions as she has an e-wallet business here.
Coronica questioned why she needs need to get the information of people to use an e-wallet.
“There’s a tendency that this will be used by unscrupulous people in criminal activities,” he said.
He said that he discussed the matter during a meeting with Mayor Albee Benitez.
Benitez expressed concern over the matter and has directed the City Legal Office (CLO) to conduct a thorough investigation. The mayor said collected information might be used for identity theft or money laundering.