Senate President Pro Tempore and Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian declared on Thursday, June 11, that the legislative body will not back down against intimidation following a recent cyberattack on its official website.
Gatchalian strongly condemned the security breach and called for a unified government response to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Hindi kami susuko sa intimidasyon. Hindi kami hihinto sa aming trabaho para sa bawat Pilipino. Ang mga nagtatangkang sirain ang demokrasya sa pamamagitan ng karahasan ay haharapin ang buong kapangyarihan ng batas, at ang buong lakas ng isang institusyon na nakatayo para sa katotohanan, katarungan, at kalayaan ng ating bansa,” Gatchalian stated.
The cyberattack adds to a growing list of security challenges for the upper chamber. Following recent warnings from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding serious threats directed at lawmakers, the Senate had already stepped up its security measures.
This included shifting congressional staff to work-from-home setups on June 10 and 11 to give way to thorough building inspections.
Gatchalian stressed that the digital intrusion must be treated with the utmost urgency.
“This cannot be treated as an isolated incident. Ang pag-atake sa aming mga sistema, gaya ng iba pang banta na kinakaharap natin ngayon, ay krimen. At lahat ng kriminal ay dapat managot sa batas,” Gatchalian added.
The Acting Senate President has ordered the NBI, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to launch an immediate investigation into the breach.
Senate officials confirmed that the cyberattack was limited to a website defacement, ensuring that all legislative records, databases, and confidential files remain secure and unaffected.
Nevertheless, Gatchalian maintained that the incident is a grave violation of the institution’s integrity.