‘Government faces wave of cyber attacks after Duterte arrest’

Vloggers say sorry at House fake news probe

MANILA, Philippines — Cybersecurity activities targeting government websites have increased following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, an official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) confirmed yesterday.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said the attacks related to Duterte’s arrest can be traced mostly to local hackers, many of whom are attempting to deface government websites.

Aside from these local attempts, which he said are mostly aimed at embarrassing the government, the DICT official said they also monitored an increase in the activity of so-called advanced persistent threat or APT actors. These include those whose “modus operandi” is associated with Chinese actors.

He said it is possible that they are riding on recent issues to achieve their objective, which is to “gain access to critical databases of government.”

“Their target is specific,” said Dy, citing the digital assets of the Philippine Coast Guard, Office of the President, DICT, National Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies.

“I feel that they are riding (on recent issues). If the attacks are voluminous, their activities will be hidden,” he added in Filipino.

“There is an increase in cybersecurity activities targeting government digital assets since the arrest of the former president,” he said.

“Most of these attacks don’t really go through, but some did. There was a defacement in DA (Department of Agriculture) and some DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) websites,” he added.

Since last week alone, Dy said they have monitored around 70,000 to 80,000 “malicious attempts.”

“This is quite high. We’re still trying to look into patterns,” he added.

Vloggers apologize

Pro-Duterte vloggers and influencers apologized for spreading fake news and disinformation in their vlogs during the House of Representatives’ probe yesterday.

Vloggers Krizette Laureta Chu, who claimed being an editor of a big newspaper, Mary Jane Quiambao Reyes and Mark Lopez were subjected to thorough scrutiny by lawmakers investigating the spread of fake news and misinformation through social media.

Manila 6th district Rep. Benny Abante scrutinized Chu for her claims that children of congressmen were sent to study in Europe and Switzerland, and that government leaders were “fools” to even think of trying to get loans from other countries, as well her assertions that some Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) beneficiaries were given financial assistance even if they can afford to have braces on their teeth.

Chu admitted that all these vlogs were based on news reports and not on facts.

“I apologize. I don’t know what happened on Dec. 28 to make me angry if I wrote about it that time. It is in the news that we will have to get a loan this year, that is why I was angered. I was angered because I saw a beneficiary of AKAP with brace. I am not laying it on the congressmen. I am laying it on the… to give that person P5,000 despite that, because I am a taxpayer,” Chu said.

Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano also grilled Reyes over her post claiming that extrajudicial killings were a hoax.

When asked if she had documents or proof to support her claim, Reyes admitted she had none.

“OK sir, next time, sir. Next time before I write something, I will get documents first under oath and not just base it from mainstream media,” Reyes said in response.

Lopez, another pro-Duterte influencer, also found himself in hot water over social media posts concerning the South China Sea.

Lopez admitted to spreading falsehoods. “Sorry po, fake news po ako,” he admitted before the panel.

House committee on overseas workers affairs chairman and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre also confronted Chu over her claims of mass resignation among policemen because of Duterte’s arrest and subsequent detention in The Hague for a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Acidre questioned her source, to which Chu admitted she based her claim on unverified TikTok posts.

“In other words, it was just your impression. In short, it was a rumor, it was a lie which you propagated,” Acidre pointed out.

But Chu insisted she used the word “daw” to indicate uncertainty.

Acidre countered that legitimate journalists do not operate on “general impressions” and must verify information before publishing.

Cebu vlogger nabbed

The National Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested a content creator in Cebu for allegedly spreading fake news and altering a news report from a media agency, NBI Director Jaime Santiago announced.

Suspect Wendeline Abduhan Magalso was taken into custody by NBI agents from the agency’s regional office in Cebu following an operation coordinated with Facebook, Santiago told reporters at the NBI headquarters in Manila.

“The arrest stemmed from an altered version of a TV5 news report, which included manipulated statements attributed to President Marcos Jr.,” Santiago said in Filipino. “As I promised, we are taking serious steps against vloggers who spread fake news.”

Further coordination with Facebook led the NBI to Magalso, prompting agents in Cebu to conduct an operation and arrest her.

Santiago warned other vloggers engaged in disinformation that the NBI is actively monitoring online activities. “We are taking this matter seriously,” he said.

The NBI has yet to release details on the charges filed against Magalso, but Santiago reiterated that authorities will continue to crack down on the spread of fake news online.

China-funded seminars

Vloggers and social media influencers, mostly pro-Duterte, attended a state-sponsored seminar in China in 2023 with all expenses paid by the Chinese government, former Presidential Communications Office (PCO) secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles admitted during Friday’s hearing.

Angeles made the admission under questioning by House deputy speaker David Suarez about the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China and its role in training media practitioners from different countries.

Suarez showed a photo of the attendees to the NRTA seminar, with Angeles and other pro-Duterte vloggers posing for a picture.

Angeles confirmed her awareness of such programs, acknowledging that she was one of the invitees. She named fellow participants in the seminar, which took place from May 23 to June 5, 2023, in China.

“Myself, Pia Morato, Tio Moreno – who was there as a journalist and I think an information officer – Mr. Mark Lopez and attorney Ahmed Paglinawan,” she said, adding that she could not recall other names.

When pressed by Suarez about who funded the trip, Angeles admitted the seminar was “sponsored,” with the Chinese government covering travel, accommodation and seminar costs.

The former PCO chief revealed that the invitation came directly from the Chinese embassy, which regularly selects participants for such programs.

“They conduct these regularly, I understand,” she said, adding that mainstream media practitioners were also invited at different times.

“They introduced new techniques in social media such as short-form videos, how to take them and other technical aspects. They also gave a background on China,” she said.

Suarez also turned to pro-Duterte vlogger Lopez, confirming his participation. “Sir, that is the only one that I have attended,” Lopez said, affirming it was his only China-sponsored seminar.

Suarez then asked whether the seminar influenced their work.

Angeles downplayed its impact on her political views, saying she was already well-versed in China’s history.

Lopez, on the other hand, said he gained an understanding of “how China media works.”

Face-to-face

Meanwhile, Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta wants to see “face-to-face” in Congress a vlogger who called him a “demon” in one post.

During the House tri-comm’s third hearing on malicious and fake online content, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel granted Marcoleta’s motion to summon one Epifanio Labrador.

In a video shown during the hearing, Labrador cursed Marcoleta and called him “diablo” and also cursed Marcoleta’s religion.

“Whatever cursing they want to hurl at me, I don’t know them. But the way he cursed me, as you all have heard what he has been stating, but people I think will not believe him because I am not that,” Marcoleta said.

Pimentel ordered the tri-comm secretariat to issue summons to Labrador.

BIR to audit influencers

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has created a task force to audit social media influencers for tax registration compliance and tax payments, a BIR lawyer said during Friday’s hearing.

In its last hearing, the tri-comm panel directed the BIR to submit a list of social media content creators taxed by the agency and their respective tax payments.

BIR lawyer Ron Mikhail Uy said the BIR “has already created a specialized body…a task force dedicated to investigating social media influencers and consequently, for issuing letters of authority for further tax audit.”

He said the hearing panel has actually given his agency a list of 27 social media personalities, explaining the difficulty in running after these taxpayers.

Fake news divisive

The country is being divided by online fake news, PCO chief Jay Ruiz said yesterday during the House tri-comm’s third hearing.

“The nation is being divided by online disinformation, misinformation and fake news,” Ruiz told lawmakers. “What is happening to us right now is we are being polarized, being divided online. Filipinos are being pitted against Filipinos.”

Ruiz said the division that is happening in the country is similar to the discord the world is seeing in the US. Neutralizing malicious online content, according to Ruiz, “is the big fight” the nation should be waging.

“Lies, repeated a thousand times, becomes the truth. We have to fight lies with truth. The voice of truth should be louder than lies,” Ruiz said as he warned of the dangers of division among the population caused by online disinformation and misinformation.

Ruiz also called attention to the danger posed by deepfakes, as well as the regulation not only of online media practitioners but of social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. However, he said the problem is that these platforms are not based in the Philippines.

At the Senate, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday described as “timely and most relevant,” the partnership forged between government agencies PCO and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to fight the growing threats of disinformation and online scams.

The PCO-CICC partnership is part of the administration’s broader campaign to establish a safer, more truthful information ecosystem in the country.

The PCO formulates and implements an integrated program of information and developmental communication on the work of the presidency, while the CICC is responsible for all functions related to cybersecurity. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Cecille Suerte Felipe