LAWMAKERS at the Senate urged the Commission on Elections to exert whatever effort to get initial information on the alleged hacking incident.
Senator Ping Lacson said that while only the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) can officially confirm or deny if such hacking indeed occurred, the Senate in-house Comelec-accredited cyber-security team is currently conducting its own investigation given their limited accessibility.
Lacson also asked them to exert whatever effort to get initial information.
“Finding out who was/were responsible is already material information just to establish the motive and who will benefit from the alleged hacking. Meantime, we have to await the response of the author/s who said they will show proof to substantiate their hacking allegations. That said, the Comelec should clarify the veracity of the hacking incident and be forthright with its findings. More importantly, it should be open to letting experts and related stakeholders help strengthen the security system – including our cybersecurity experts and those of other aspirants. Only through transparency and accountability can we guarantee the integrity of the upcoming elections,” added Lacson.
On her part, Senator Rissa Hontiveros said “Our elections on May 9 could not have come at a more critical time. This is not just about the individual candidates, but about upholding our democracy which, if the hacking turns out to be true, is gravely being threatened.”
“While the alleged hacking of the Comelec website is still being verified, let me stress the importance of protecting data privacy in databanks under the care of government and private agencies. Lalo na’t nangyari na rin ito noon when voters’ data were leaked and compromised.”
“We cannot afford to let it all happen again let alone allow this sensitive information to fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals. As holders of this information that the public has entrusted to them, it is Comelec’s duty to protect the information from security breaches, and to preserve the integrity of the electoral process,” she added.
