Malacañang urges Comelec to release result of probe on data leak

Malacañang on Friday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to release the result of its investigation into  the 2016 hacking of the Comelec website, described as “one of the worst breaches of a government-controlled database.”

“We exhort that Comelec release a report of an investigation it conducted on the data leak, if any, to maintain the credibility of the constitutional body and uphold the integrity of the electoral process,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“Comelec should come clean and hold itself accountable for the millions of data that became susceptible to risks such as identity theft and fraud,” Andanar added.

The Palace official said the data leak was “an issue that simply cannot be swept under the rug.”

On Thursday, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said Comelec Chair Andres Bautista was criminally liable for the leakage of voters’ data after the election body’s website was hacked.

READ: Poll chief liable for ‘Comeleak’

Andanar lauded the NPC “for taking the side of the people whose privacy has been violated.”

“Comelec must not only protect the vote but it must protect the voter as well.  The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is thus commended for taking the side of the people whose privacy has been violated,” he said.

“Let us put an end to election-related maneuverings and ensure that any attempt to subvert the people’s will, no matter how sophisticated, will not succeed,” he added./rga