Philippines Govt wants to add more in cyber crime bill

LAW : Philippines Govt wants to add more in cyber crime bill

By Erwin Oliva

INQUIRER.net

July 04, 2008

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080704-146388/Govt-wants-to-include-more-provisions-in-cybercrime-bill

MAKATI City, Philippines -- A technical working group (TWG) composed of various stakeholders in government and the private sector are including additional provisions in the proposed cybercrime bill, a state prosecutor told INQUIRER.net.

State Prosecutor Geronimo Sy said the TWG has taken a "step back" to consider integrating provisions of an Internet Piracy Act filed at the House of Representatives.

Sy said the group hopes to finish the consolidation of these proposed laws before the opening of Congress in late July.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) are part of the TWG that has been working on the cybercrime bill, which incorporates provisions set during the Budapest convention on cybercrime.

The CICT and the DoJ have been working on the cybercrime bill since last year.

CICT officials were unavailable for further comment at this writing.

CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III had said there were four versions of the cybercrime bill filed at the House of Representatives.

The cybercrime bill would contain definitions of cybercrime, punishment of such crimes and provisions on cooperation with the international community, among others.

Last year, the DoJ created a task force to deal with cybersecurity issues in legislation and investigation. The group was created to pursue the e-government agenda, institutionalize a cybersecurity regime and implement laws. The task force worked closely with the Council of Europe, a private organization, and local experts composed of IT practitioners and other stakeholders.

Among the top priorities of the group was to work for the passage of the cybercrime prevention act, which failed to pass in the previous Congress. The task force was expected to work with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police.

Also last year, the CICT, DoJ and the Council of Europe agreed to work together on the cybercrime bill.

Meanwhile, Sy said that two major cybercrime cases were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation this week. These cases involve Internet libel and qualified theft.