PNP coordinates with Senate over website defacement probe

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police–Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) will coordinate with the Senate in investigating the defacement of the upper chamber’s official website.

“While we are relieved that no sensitive or confidential data was compromised in this defacement, an attack on a vital government institution remains a serious breach of security,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement Friday.

READ: No sensitive data compromised in Senate website defacement — DICT

He added that the PNP-ACG will work closely with Senate officials and relevant government agencies to assess the incident, preserve digital evidence, strengthen cybersecurity measures, and identify and arrest those responsible.

The Senate Electronic Data Processing and Management Information System Bureau confirmed Thursday that its website had been defaced and was immediately placed under maintenance as a precaution.

Both the Senate and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) assured that no confidential or sensitive information had been compromised by the breach.

READ: ‘Transparency is not optional,’ hacktivists claim Senate website defacement

A Filipino hacktivist group calling itself “Nullsec Philippines” claimed responsibility, saying “transparency is not optional, and accountability is not negotiable.”

Nartatez condemned the act, stressing that “digital vandalism is a serious crime” and warning that those behind it would be held accountable.

The incident comes amid recent political tensions in the chamber, particularly after a 12-member bloc ousted Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and installed Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore.

Earlier this week, Gatchalian claimed there were potential threats against the Senate./dp