MANILA, Philippines--The Commission on Information and Communications Technology expects to finish work on a draft cybercrime bill by end-June, its chairman told INQUIRER.net Monday.

"We're still finalizing the draft," said CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas Chua III.

The CICT is working with the Department of Justice on the draft cybercrime bill, which incorporates provisions set during the Budapest convention on cybercrime, Chua said.

The CICT and the DoJ had been working on the cybercrime bill since last year.

Asked what is causing the delay of the draft's submission to Congress, Chua said, "we're just making sure that we're conforming to the Budapest convention."

Representative Teodoro Locsin will be one of the legislators supporting the cybercrime bill, said Chua.

Chua had said there were four versions of the cybercrime bill filed at the House of Representatives.

The cybercrime bill would contain definitions of cybercrime, punishment of such crimes and provisions on cooperation with the international community, among others.

Last year, the DoJ created a task force to deal with cybersecurity issues in legislation and investigation. The group was created to pursue the e-government agenda, institutionalize a cybersecurity regime and implement laws. The task force worked closely with the Council of Europe, a private organization, and local experts composed of IT practitioners and other stakeholders.

Among the top priorities of the group was to work for the passage of the cybercrime prevention act, which failed to pass in the previous Congress. The task force was expected to work with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police.

Also last year, the CICT, DoJ and the Council of Europe agreed to work together on the cybercrime bill.