EU vows anew to help Phl vs cybercrime

MANILA, Philippines - The European Union has reiterated its commitment to assist the Philippines in fighting cybercrime.

At a cybercrime summit earlier this week, the EU said it looked forward to the next steps the Philippines would take in fighting cybercrime in conjunction with the Budapest Convention.

The Philippines is the only priority country in Asia supported by the EU-funded Global Action on Cybercrime (GLACY) project.

The three-year project with a budget of 3.35 million euro (P200 million) started in November 2013 and is under the EU’s Instrument for Stability.

Under the GLACY project, the EU is collaborating with the Department of Justice and Philippine National Police (PNP) to train judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in investigating cybercrime cases and electronic evidence, and to enhance international law enforcement and judicial cooperation against cybercrime, according to Lubomir Frebort, head of the political section of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines.

“The European Union believes that the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime serves as a very efficient international instrument in addressing cyber threats and is a basis for international cooperation in this field,” Frebort said during the opening of the 1st National Summit on Cybercrime at Camp Crame on Tuesday.

“Cybercrime, being borderless, requires cooperation, coordination and collaboration with other countries. Having this in mind, the European Union Delegation is looking forward to the next steps from the Republic of the Philippines in its efforts to fight cybercrime and to accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime,” he added.

The summit brought together experts in the field of cybercrime prevention and investigation. It aims to generate greater awareness among the public about the menace of cybercrime, marking the first anniversary of the creation of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG).

The Philippines ranks among the top 10 producers of child pornography materials distributed via the Internet, and this is only one kind of cybercrime that law enforcement agencies face. Fraud and website defacements are other areas that make up significant portions of cybercrime cases, the PNP said.

The number of cybercrime incidents reported to the ACG and the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division was 243 in 2010. The number of reported cases increased to 1,151 last year. This is almost five times more, without even including unreported cases.

On Feb. 18, the Supreme Court promulgated its decision on the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Although three provisions were struck down by the court, the constitutionality of many provisions challenged by petitioners was upheld.