House of Representatives website defaced; DICT activates cybersecurity response
The official website of the House of Representatives (congress.gov.ph) was defaced on the afternoon of June 13, 2026, prompting an immediate cybersecurity response from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The DICT's Cybersecurity Bureau confirmed awareness of the incident and swiftly mobilized its National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) to coordinate with the House of Representatives and activate standard incident response procedures.
No sensitive data compromised, authorities say
Based on initial assessments, no confidential or sensitive government information appears to have been breached. Officials noted that the defaced pages contained mostly publicly available content. However, authorities cautioned that the finding remains preliminary pending the outcome of a full technical investigation.
Current response efforts are focused on three priorities: containing the incident, restoring affected web services, and determining the full scope of the unauthorized access.
Cybercrime charges possible under Philippine Law
The DICT has coordinated with relevant law enforcement agencies to pursue those responsible for the attack. Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175), website defacement is a punishable offense, and the agency warned that perpetrators will be held legally accountable.
Alongside the investigation, the DICT said it is working with the House of Representatives to strengthen existing security measures and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
DICT reaffirms commitment to protecting government infrastructure
The agency reaffirmed its mandate to protect the country's critical information infrastructure and pledged to release further updates as verified findings emerge from the ongoing investigation.