SEN. Edgardo Angara on Monday pushed for the speedy passage of the twin measures on cybercrime prevention and data privacy to beef up the policy framework for safeguarding the use of Information and Communications Technologies in the country.

Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, pointed out that Senate Bill 2796, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, seeks to protect Filipino Web users from Internet fraud, theft, hacking and other online crimes. He continued that this will be backed up by Senate Bill 2965, the Data Privacy Act, which aims to improve the security and confidentiality of personal information collected, stored, used and transmitted by both public and private entities. 

“If we are to make any headway in our transition to a digital economy, these measures have to be enacted as soon as possible. We only need to look to the arrest of a Korean hacker and the current Stradcom debacle to realize that these bills would provide us with legal protection,” said Angara, also chairman of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering.   

PNP-CIDG Chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. has pointed out that foreign crime groups are already running illegal operations from various parts of the country, evidenced by the recent arrest of a Korean national wanted by the Philippine and Korean authorities for hacking a Seoul-based financial company.  

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation and Communications recently filed charges against Stradcom Corp. for collecting some P2 billion worth of interconnectivity fees for use of data from the Land Transportation Office.