The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) should seriously look into reports of any information breach to thwart any possibility of cyber threats in the future. 

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian made the call after the reported data breach on the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) database by an alleged group of hackers.

Though the PCSO management has dismissed the reports as fake news, the DICT “should not take these incidents lightly.”

“The alleged breach involving the PCSO data base emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen government agencies' cybersecurity infrastructure given constant threat of cyberattacks targeting these agencies,” Gatchalian said. 

“While the PCSO dismissed reports as fake news, the DICT should not take these incidents lightly. Vigilance and transparency should be maintained in addressing such threats,” the senator stressed. 

Gatchalian said all government agencies should work closely with the DICT and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to conduct regular security audits, implement stricter data protection protocols, and improve cybersecurity training for personnel. 

“Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and our defenses must evolve to keep pace with these threats,” he said. 

PCSO General Manager Mel Robles had earlier denied the report saying the claim of lotto winners’ names were compromised was made to taint the integrity of the agency’s games.

This was after a Facebook post made by Philippines Exodus Security, a group that claim to be responsible for compromising digital networks, said that they got a hold of the PCSO’s data, including emails, and lotto winners’ profiles.

But Robles denied the allegation: “This is fake news. There was no breach nor any successful attempt to hack the systems of PCSO.”

Robles added they have not reported anything to the DICT “because nothing had happened.”

“While there were numerous attempts (in the past) to hack our system coming from all over the world, our digital defenses are holding out and remain impregnable,” the PCSO chief said.