W. Visayas Police, NBI “clueless” on cybercrime hotspots?

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Region 6 (Western Visayas) seemed “clueless” on the reported “cybercrime hotspots” in the Visayas.

“I have no information on that,” Chief  Supt. Josephus Angan, director of  the Police Regional Office-6, said in a text message yesterday.

“Not sure,” Manuel Almendares, director of NBI-Region 6, said.

“No idea,” said Sr. Supt. Milko Lirazan, acting director of the Negros Occidental Provincial Police.

“Not that I know,” Ronald Aguto, head of NBI-6 Cyber Crime Division, said in a text message yesterday.

A report of GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation” on Monday said the PNP is watching over 31 provinces in the country considered as cybercrime “hotspots” for harboring cybersex and cyberporn hubs.

The report, posted on GMA News Online last Tuesday, said 18 provinces in Luzon, six in Visayas, and seven in Mindanao are now under investigation, according to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime group.

Superintendent Ivy Castillo, chief of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group’s Women and Children Protection Desk, however withheld the identification of these “hotspot” provinces.

“Under investigation pa ito kaya hindi ko masasabi [kung saan ang mga probinsiyang ito]. Madali lang kasi maglipat [ng operations] kung malaman nila (cybercriminals),” she told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Last January, Virtual Global Task Force, a group of international agencies against child pornography, included the Philippines in its list of top 10 countries with rampant cyber pornographic activities.

Last year, NBI recorded 59 cases of cyber pornography in the country, GMA reported.

In Negros Occidental, a Dutch national and his Filipina live-in partner were arrested, and eight female  victims were rescued in a police raid on a suspected cyber sex den in Murcia town in August last year.

Three of  the eight female victims were minors, and one of the victims was reportedly caught in the act of having a sex chat with a customer during the raid, according to Sr. Insp. Norberto Barniso, head of  the Murcia Police. —(FREEMAN)