Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla answers questions from the media during a press briefing on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at the Department of Justice. Remulla revealed he underwent a heart bypass surgery while on his 10-day wellness leave that started on June 26. (File photo from INQUIRER.net/Noy Morcoso)
MANILA, Philippines — Government agents fighting cybercrimes need more funds, especially now that a large number of crimes are being committed either through the use of computers or other similar technologies.
At a budget hearing in Senate on Monday, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla sought the help of Congress to raise the funding for cybercrime units of Department of Justice (DOJ), and its attached agency, National Bureau of Investigation.
“Ang krimen po ngayon, 90 percent po, mayroon ng cybercrime content. May cyber content na po ang halos lahat ng krimen,” Remulla said.
(The crime today has 90 percent cybercrime content. Almost all crimes now have cyber content.)
“In fact, yung mga hold up po ng bangko, wala na ho tayong naririnig na pumapasok sa bangko na may hawak na baril,” he told lawmakers.
(In fact, we no longer hear of armed men robbing banks.)
“Ang nangyayari po, sa mga computer po natin at saka sa telepono ninanakaw ang pera,” he explained.
(What happens now is that money is stolen through our computers and phones.)
“Ang bank robbery po, sa telepono na po. Cyber na rin po,” he emphasized.
(Bank robbery is now being done on the phone. It is already a cybercrime.)
Thus, there is a need to strengthen the capability of the cybercrime offices of DOJ and NBI, Remulla stressed.
Senator JV Ejercito, who raised the alarm over the proliferation of online scams in the country, agreed.
He said there is, indeed, a necessity to augment the funds for government offices fighting cybercrimes.
The lawmaker decried the amount of intelligence funds being received by NBI’s cybercrime office.
“Dito po sa budget, yung office of cybercrime, ang intel nila is only P475,000,” Ejercito pointed out.
(In the budget, the Office of Cybercrime has an intelligence fund of only P475,000.)
“So medyo mababa ito, considering that… other departments right now, other agencies, specially those civilian in nature, are asking,” he made the comparison.
(This is relatively considering what other departments right now, and agencies, especially those of civilian nature, are asking for.)
“Lahat po sila, (na) nanghihingi na ng intel funds,” he observed.
(All of them are already requesting for intelligence funds.)
“But I guess, Mr chair, these are agencies that we really have to put confidential and intel funds, kasi nga as I mentioned, this is the new enemy that we’re facing now,” said the senator.
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