Cyber cops eyed vs online crimes as law’s IRR signed

MANILA, Philippines - The government has stepped up its drive against cybercrime with the signing yesterday of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act by its implementing agencies.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima led the signing with Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo and Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Edwin Enrile.

“The departments here will be equally vigilant in the protection of civil liberties, be it on the streets, in justice processes, in the courts and on the web. This is one way where the citizen’s trust and confidence can be nurtured and grown,” De Lima said in her speech.

She revealed that a team of “cybercrime authorities” – possibly including cyber police – would be tapped to run after cybercriminals.

“Our response is to build a team of cybercrime professionals equipped with the requisite expertise, backed up by adequate resources and operating under an ethical framework to ensure that we can deliver justice,” she bared.

De Lima admitted that the country remains at an early stage in its campaign against cybercriminals, especially since the implementation of the Cybercrime Law was delayed when people questioned its constitutionality before the Supreme Court.

RA 10175 was enacted in 2012, but it was only in February 2014 when the high court upheld key provisions of the Cybercrime Law, including online libel, while striking down some provisions, like the controversial takedown clause.

“Cybercrime offenders have had about three decades of headstart, giving them the valuable time to hone their malicious craft. It’s about time that we, in the government, take that step to finally tackle them head-on,” De Lima said.

Enrile, for his part, assured the public that overlaps in government functions in implementing the law had already been settled.

The Philippine National Police in 2014 recorded 614 cybercrime-related cases, 22 percent of which were scam-related, 16 percent on cyber libel, 11 percent on voyeurism and 9 percent involved identity theft.

Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy appealed to the public to report only major cases, like syndicates preying on investors or minors and women, given the government’s limited resources.

“We are appealing that when they report crimes, we hope that these are crimes involving many victims and not just a family feud or a fight between boyfriend and girlfriend because resources are very limited,” Sy, head of the DOJ’s cybercrime office, told reporters.

After the IRR, the agencies will now work on an investigation manual, which would include guidelines when reporting a cybercrime to international law enforcement agencies like the International Criminal Police and the European Criminal Police.

Sy also maintained the DOJ’s position that cyber libel should not have been included in RA 10175.