Locsin clarifies: Passport data not ‘run-away-able’ but inaccessible

Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines –Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. admitted on Tuesday that the information affected by the data breach is not “run-away-able.”

According to Locsin, since the term of the previous contractor was terminated, the passport applicants’ information had been rendered inaccessible for the DFA.

This development came after a netizen asked Locsin for clarification if the contractor indeed ran-away with the public data concerning the valuable personal information of passport applicants.

“Data is not run-away-able but made inaccessible. Access denied. But APO [the latest contractor] assured me they were able to access but not much use and parts corrupted,” Locsin said in a reply tweet.

Data is not run-away-able but made inaccessible. Access denied. But APO assured me they were able to access but not much use and parts corrupted. APO agrees with me that old passports are best evidence of identity and join me in despising those who don't agree with me. https://t.co/ln6blIwbIB

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 15, 2019

APO Production Unit Inc. is the printing company responsible for the release of the electronic passport.

“APO agrees with me that old passports are  best evidence of identity and join me in despising those who don’t agree with me,” he added.

On Saturday, Locsin said that the department lost all of its data after its previous contractor, Oberthur, has taken away all passport applicants’ data after its contract was terminated.

“Because previous contractor got pissed when terminated it made off with data. We did nothing about it or couldn’t because we were in the wrong,” Locsin said in a Twitter post.

“It won’t happen again. Passports pose national security issues and cannot be kept back by private entities. Data belongs to the state,” he added.

However, Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said that Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare of France or “Oberthur,” could not have run away with the data.

READ: Passport maker ‘took all data’ when contract terminated, reveals DFA chief

According to Yasay, Oberthur simply “withdrew” from the department as it already finished its contract.

“When APO and UGEC came in, Oberthur withdrew. After all it was just assisting the government in the management of the operating system for free, the Oberthur already completed its contract,” Yasay said in an interview.

“To say now that Oberthur ran away with the data is completely false,” he added. /jpv

READ: Yasay: No data stolen; Locsin ‘misinformed’ about passport data breach