Malacañang: Gov’t not taking passport data breach lightly

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. INQUIRER FILE

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday assured the public that the government is investigating the passport data breach which it called a “serious and grave matter.”

This came after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. revealed over the weekend that a previous contractor “got pissed” when its contract was terminated and “made off” with passport holders’ data.

READ: Bring birth certificates when renewing passports – DFA

“We are one with the Filipino people in their quest for truth and so we will not treat this issue lightly,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo said the National Privacy Commission (NPC) has been directed to investigate the incident in the Department of Foreign Affairs and ascertain whether certain provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012, have been violated.

Panelo noted that applicants seeking to renew their passports “should not be burdened” by submitting copies of their birth certificates.

“The submission of the old or current passport which the applicant seeks to renew should suffice for the purpose,” Panelo said.

He added that the “ongoing practice is not only cumbersome to everyone affected but is a form of red tape.”

“The investigation should not, however, end here since the current arrangement for the printing of passports should also be examined to determine if there are violations of pertinent laws which may be detrimental to the public,” the Palace official added.

Locsin has already vowed to solve the data breach, adding that he would “autopsy the yellows who did the passport deal alive.” /cbb

READ: Locsin vows to solve problem of passport data breach