Tolentino hits no-show agency heads at Senate probe

Sen. Francis Tolentino criticized some agency heads who were absent at a Senate hearing on Chinese spying activities in the country on Thursday because they were on official travel. — File photo

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis Tolentino took a subtle dig at some agency heads who were absent at a Senate hearing on Thursday because they were on official travel.

As head of the Senate special committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty, Tolentino is leading the ongoing investigation into alleged Chinese spying activities in the Philippines.

READ: Tolentino: Drones, espionage just tip of the iceberg, affront to Filipinos

“Wala yung mga secretaries?” the panel chairman asked after learning that only representatives of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) were present in the hearing.

When told by the committee secretary that the agency heads are all on official travels,  Tolentino remarked: “Kaya sila naha-hack…(That’s why they get hacked.)”

He later asked the representatives of the DICT and DOST if they were authorized to speak on behalf of their respective departments and if they could answer questions during the hearing.

“Pag tinanong ko kayo mamaya ilan yung na-hack, anong epekto nung na-hack, anong uri ng information kaya nyong sagutin yun…Naniniwala kayo na yung sasabihin nyo would be reflective of your departments?” the senator asked.

(If I ask you later how many incidents of hacking occurred, what their impact was, and what type of information was compromised, will you be able to provide answers? Do you believe that what you will say will be reflective of your departments?)

Tolentino lamented that the absence of the secretaries seemed to indicate that the Senate probe was not important to them.

Still,  the committee proceeded with its hearing with officials from other concerned agencies as resource persons.