Photo: Sen. Riza Hontiveros FB

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday seeks an inquiry into the recent cyberattack of hackers targeting Philippine government agencies, including those involved in safeguarding the West Philippine Sea.

In Proposed Senate Resolution No. 923, the senator said that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that the hackers are believed to be operating from the People’s Republic of China.

“Habang nagsasayang tayo ng oras para pag-usapan ang Charter Change, ang Tsina hindi tumitigil sa panghihimasok sa ating bansa. Imbes na ang enerhiya natin ay mapunta sa pagpapalakas ng mga batas para sa ating pambansang seguridad, nag-aaksaya tayo ng panahon para sa interes ng iilan,” Hontiveros said.

On Feb. 3, 2024, DICT announced that the hackers breached the email systems and internal websites of several government agencies including those maintained and operated by the Philippine Coast Guard, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, the Department of Justice, the National Coast Watch System, the House of Representatives, and that of the DICT itself.

The DICT also reported that several private domains were also targeted, including the personal website of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

“This is a major cyberattack. While we are all busy cleaning up the mess of the sham ‘People’s Initiative,’ China has taken advantage of the current instability in the country to strike at our vulnerabilities. Dapat ito ang pagtuunan ng pansin, hindi yung mga pekeng insiyatibo na nanggugulo lang sa mga Pilipino,” the senator said.

The resolution also cited a 2023 research by Palo Alto research firm Unit 42, which reported that a similar cyberintrusion targeting a Southeast Asian government then attempted to install other tools and malware to maintain a foothold in the environment and establish persistence, for the purpose of long-term surveillance.

“Hindi natin alam, baka naka-install na ng mga malware itong Chinese hackers sa ating mga Philippine Coast Guard assets. If so, these recent cyber-intrusions threaten to compromise resupply missions to Ayungin shoal, the security of Philippine Armed Forces personnel stationed on the B.R.P. Sierra Madre, and the wider Philippine national interests in the West Philippine Sea,” Hontiveros said.

“Tama na ChaCha, Tsina ang mas malaking problema. Let us stop wasting time on changing the Constitution. Unahin na natin ang mga problema sa ekonomiya at ang napakalaking banta na dala ng Tsina,” the senator concluded.