CHRONICLE NEWS
.png)
'HACKERS'. The National Bureau of Investigation-Cybercrime Division (NBI-CCD) on Friday (June 21, 2024) presented three individuals arrested for hacking private and government websites, banks, and Facebook accounts to the media. The NBI said one is a data analyst for the Manila Bulletin, one works as a cyber security researcher for a company, and one is a student. (Photo courtesy of NBI)
The suspects, whose faces were covered, were identified through aliases ‘kangkong’, ‘Mirasol’, ‘Sibat’, ‘Ricardo Redoble’, and ‘lulu’, and were involved in multiple unauthorized access attempts and breaches of private and government websites since 2016.
All suspects are members of two big hacking groups, Philippine Lulzec and Globalsec.
Lontoc said they tracked the hackers' movements and monitored online activities to establish patterns and connections linked to their activities.
“Yung isang hacker isa siyang cyber security researcher ng isang malaking company sa (One of the hackers is a cyber security researcher of a big company in) BGC (Bonifacio Global City), ayaw kong pangalanan kasi under investigation po yun, dun siya employed, yung isa naman graduating student siya, dating siyang miyembro din ng (I don't want to name him because it's under investigation, he is employed there. The other suspect is a graduating students, he was also a former member of) Pinoy Lulzsec,” he added.
However, Lontoc said their most worrisome discovery is the data from one of the device of aka "Illusion", "which contains thousands of bank credentials that include usernames, passwords, and even OTPs (one-time passwords)."
These banks, he said, include the Philippine National Bank, Banco de Oro, Union Bank, and Security Bank.
“Magve verify kami tatanungin namin itong mga bangko na ito kung nag eexist itong mga data kasi ito yung gagamitin ng mga scammer natin sa kanilang (we will verify and ask these banks if these data exists, because this will be used by the scammers in their ) exploit,” Lontoc said.
The NBI, in its press release, said that on June 14, initial contact with the subjects was made through the informant, where they agreed to meet.
The suspects were arrested on June 19 in a hotel in Manila and underwent inquest proceedings on June 20.
They were recommended to be charged with Illegal Access under Section 4(a)(1) and Misuse of Device under Section 5(iii) of RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, as well as Unauthorized Access or Intentional Breach under Section 29 of RA 10173 otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The third subject with an alias 'Allan 10k' will be charged through direct filing.
NBI director Jaime Santiago said that this is only the start of his promise made when he took over the agency.
“Start pa lamang ito we have several operations lined up sunod sunod na ito kaya yung mga scammers, cybercrime hackers maghanda na kayo ito na kami (This is only the start we have several operations lined up and there are more to come, so those scammers and cybercrime hackers, be prepared, we’re coming to you),” he said.
The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), meanwhile, commended the NBI for its arrest of the hacking suspects.
“DICT is part of the National Cybersecurity Interagency Committee (NCIAC) and its working groups that share intelligence and technical information regarding these cases and assist our law enforcement agencies in their efforts to identify, locate, and apprehend suspected cybercriminals,” it said.
In the same press briefing, the arrested data personnel of Manila Bulletin alleged that he was acting under the orders of the paper's tech editor and ICT head Art Samaniego.
The NBI said the allegations against Samaniego are under investigation.
Denial
In a statement, Samaniego denied the allegations and said he did not stand to gain anything from the hacking incidents, specifically the hacking of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ website.
The Manila Bulletin, in a separate statement, said it has always "adhered to the laws of the land and requires its employees to be law-abiding."
"We expect our employees to be accorded their rights. We assure the public of Manila Bulletin's utmost fidelity to the laws of the land," it added. (PNA)
NIR boosts economic
growth of Visayan regions
In a previous interview, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel said the feasibility study for the design and the detailed engineering of the PHP187.54 billion mega Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges just started.
Spanning 32.47 kilometers, the project has two sections consisting of Section A or the Panay to Guimaras section, with a length of 13 kilometers, and Section B from Guimaras to Negros, with a length of 19.47 kilometers.
The detailed engineering design of section A (Panay to Guimaras) will be completed within the year for the civil work to start in the second semester of 2025. It is expected to be finished by the end of the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 30, 2028.
The section B (Guimaras to Negros) is eyed for completion in 2030.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act (RA) 12000, or the NIR Act, in Malacañan Palace on June 13.
The implementing rules and regulations are being crafted by a technical working group composed of representatives from the Departments of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Budget and Management (DBM), and NEDA.
In a separate interview, Governor Arthur Defensor said Iloilo is happy with the creation of NIR, which he said was a pet project of the Visayan bloc since he was still in Congress.
“The creation of that administrative region is for better governance and better delivery of public services in terms of administrative capability in the bureaucracy. But our ties with Negros will not change; they will remain to be our relatives. Commerce will remain the same," he said. (PNA)
By Paula Bien Valero
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. encouraged the public yesterday to make the most of the suspension of toll fee for all types of vehicles utilizing the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway in Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Bacoor, and Kawit for 30 days, as announced this Friday by the CAVITEX operator, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).
“This is especially so after receiving the good news that the PRA or the Philippine Reclamation Authority, as operator of the CAVITEX, proposed to suspend the collection of toll fees for all types of vehicles passing through the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway in Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Bacoor, and Kawit for thirty days. This will introduce our new roads, expressways to those who are in need of that transport system,†the President said.
“So, we welcome this call and thank the PRA for its initiative to help mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs to our motorists. I now count on our Toll Regulatory Board to ensure the benefit of the riding and the transport public,” he said.
President Marcos also thanked the private sector particularly the Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC), and the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation for the collaborative efforts in realizing the flagship project under the Public-Private Partnership. The CIC, a member of the MVP Group of Companies, is the joint venture partner of the government-owned Public Estates Authority Tollway Corporation (PEATC) in the operation of the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway. The PEATC is a subsidiary of the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
The establishment of these expressways is a fulfillment to one of the President’s campaign promises — to build infrastructure projects that will benefit and ease the Filipino’s lives.Â
The President attended the groundbreaking of the CALAX-CAVITEX Link and the CAVITEX C5 Link Segment 3B and the inauguration of the CAVITEX C5 Link Sucat Interchange in Parañaque City.
“These three milestone projects bring to reality our promise to transform the lives of millions of Filipinos, by systematically easing traffic flow in the greater Metro Manila,†President Marcos said.
This new link has a distance of 1.2-kilometer, where the President said “whose length may be short, but its impact will be substantial†and will bring a significant improvement in road network connectivity from Kawit to CALABARZON.
The President mentioned that this established connection to CALAX should ease traffic congestion at the busy intersection of Tirona Highway and Centennial Road.Â
The new infrastructure should drastically change the usual one-hour travel via public roads or service roads from Kawit, Cavite and is said to benefit around 23,000 vehicles.Â
“So, it also marks the final step in completing the CAVITEX C5 Link Expressway, enhancing our transportation infrastructure network on behalf of countless motorists and passengers,†the President said.
The President mentioned another beneficial project, which is the CAVITEX C5 Link Expressway Segment 3B, a two-kilometer road from Sucat Interchange going to E. Rodriguez in C5 Road, Taguig City. The travel time along this road link is predicted to be reduced from 40 minutes to just 10 minutes.Â
Mariam Masahud was appointed as Director IV at the OSAPIEA.
For the DepEd, Cristito Eco was appointed as Director III and Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) III, while Joel Lopez was named as Schools Division Superintendent and CESO IV.
Meanwhile, Marcos tapped Ramon Solis as a member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Mechanical Engineering under the PRC.
In a separate Facebook post, the PCO announced that Greg Pua Jr. was appointed as the executive director of the Land Transportation Office and took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on June 21.
Ermelita Valdeavilla also took her oath before Bersamin and officially assumed the position of chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women. (PNA)
New appointees
in OP, DepEd, PRC
Over 18K posts up for grabs in 2025
midterm polls
More than 18,000 national and local positions are up for grabs in the May 2025 midterm polls.
Based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) data released on Friday, 18,271 elective posts will be contested involving 14 different positions next year.
For national positions, 12 senatorial seats, 63 seats for party-list representatives and 254 seats for congressional district representatives are available.
As for the local offices, to be contested are 82 seats for governors, 82 seats for vice governors, and 792 seats for provincial board members.
For city positions, there will be 149 seats for mayors, 149 seats for vice mayors, and 1,682 seats for councilors.
At the municipal level, the available positions are 1,493 seats for mayor, 1,493 seats for vice mayor, and 11,948 seats for councilors.
The Comelec said there will be 32 parliament members seats and 40 party-list representatives seats in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Registered voters in the country will be voting their bets on May 12, 2025. (PNA)
DOT eyes doubled Korea, US arrivals
The DFA has started requiring Chinese nationals applying for a temporary visitor’s visa to submit their Chinese Social Insurance Record certificates.
“Sa part naman ng DOT patuloy lang din ang ating efforts in terms of further attracting our well-performing traditional source markets kasali na po dyan ang South Korea, United States at Japan (On the part of the DOT, we will continue our efforts in terms of further attracting our well-performing traditional source markets, including South Korea, United States, and Japan),” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit in Makati City.
On top of these markets, she said the DOT is also expanding its reach to India and the Middle East.
She said marketing and promotions to attract Chinese tourists into the country are continuous.
“Our efforts through our tourism attachés in Shanghai and Beijing are still continuing as we still have Chinese tourists coming in as group tours as well as our cruise tourism passengers,” she said.
“We are working very closely with our aviation partners para lumago pa ang connectivity sa Philippines (so that connectivity will also grow in the Philippines)."
Based on the latest DOT data, China is still the country’s top 3 source market for foreign tourists, with 168,628 arrivals recorded from January to May 2024.
This number is also higher by 6.56 percent from the 86,980 Chinese visitors the country received in the same period in 2023. (PNA)