News Roundup 19 April 2023
Apr 19, 2023 • 4 min Read
Over 1M records from NBI, PNP, other agencies leaked in massive data breach | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines —A staggering 1,279,437 records belonging to law enforcement agencies, including sensitive police employee information, have been compromised in an unprecedented data breach, as revealed by a report from the leading cybersecurity research company VPNMentor on Tuesday.
The massive data hack, which exposed 817.54 gigabytes of both applicant and employee records under multiple state agencies, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Special Action Force (SAF), has put the personal information of millions of Filipinos at risk.
Exposed records encompass highly sensitive data such as fingerprint scans, birth certificates, tax identification numbers (TIN), tax filing records, academic transcripts, and even passport copies.
Internal directives addressing law enforcement officers were also exposed in the data breach.
“As an example, these would be orders from the top leadership of how to enforce what laws and what gets priority or additional training that is needed etc… I cannot further confirm or verify the accuracy or authenticity of these documents contained within this database. As such, I cannot guarantee that the contents of the documents are accurate or reliable,” writes cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler, who authored the report.
Full Story at: Over 1M records from NBI, PNP, other agencies leaked in massive data breach | Inquirer News
Senators detain alleged gunman in shooting incident in Dumaguete City | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Wednesday cited in contempt a police officer who was tagged as the gunman during a shooting incident in Dumaguete City in 2021 due to inconsistencies in his testimony.
The officer, Police Staff Sgt. Noel Alabata, was identified by the business owners Jason Ong and Sandy Tinguha as the one who shot them in Dumaguete City in 2021, during the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing regarding the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo.
Dumaguete Police chief Police Colonel Ramoncelio Sawan also identified Alabata as the arrested suspect in the incident.
According to the testimony from Ong and Tinguha, Alabata shot them while they were manning their small restaurant in Dumaguete City, fortunately missing Tinguha.
A scuffle then ensued between Ong and Alabata, where Alabata ended up being shot and beaten by the restaurant’s staff.
Full Story at: Senators detain alleged gunman in shooting incident in Dumaguete City | Inquirer News
Marcos says Philippines still open to importing rice | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that while he does not foresee a looming rice crisis, importing the staple remains an option to address potential supply problems brought about by the El Niño phenomenon forecast to occur between the third quarter of 2023 until 2024.
“We may have to import. So we’re keeping that option open,” Marcos told reporters in a chance interview at the sidelines of an event in Bulacan.
The president, concurrently agriculture chief, assured that there is enough supply to keep rice prices stable.
But he added that the typhoons and COVID-19 lockdowns have depleted the buffer stock of the National Food Authority.
Marcos said the government is now figuring out how to replenish the NFA buffer stock while still complying with the law that mandates the agency to buy from local rice producers, which he said may cause prices to shoot up if this happens during harvest season.
Full Story at: Marcos says Philippines still open to importing rice | Philstar.com
DepEd told: Teachers only speaking up for delayed performance-based bonus | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers has slammed the Department of Education’s warning against “shadowy” groups spreading “treacherous tales” amid teachers’ complaints of the delayed release of their performance-based bonus for 2021.
ACT’s national Capital Region chapter said in a statement Wednesday that teachers have “all the rights and reasons to complain about overly delayed benefits.”
“Finally, the DepEd has given an update, and, at last, it has reportedly submitted the requirements for the release of our benefits. We cannot understand, however, where its animosity to teachers who speak up for their rights is coming from, especially when the agency is yet to explain why there is delay in the release of our PBB 2021,” said Ruby Bernardo, chairperson of ACT – NCR.
Full Story at: DepEd told: Teachers only speaking up for delayed performance-based bonus | Philstar.com
