Latest news with #CybercrimePreventionAct
GMA Network
16-07-2025
- GMA Network
2 nabbed for alleged illegal sale of chainsaw
In just two months, authorities arrested a third person for allegedly selling a chainsaw illegally online, this time, a 65-year-old woman in Kidapawan City. The woman was arrested during an entrapment operation. Personnel of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Unit-12 and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-SOCCSKSARGEN (DENR-12) arrested the suspect after she allegedly offered a 36-inch chainsaw for sale on Facebook without proper permits. Authorities seized the chainsaw and a mobile phone allegedly used in the transaction. DENR-12 said the operation was conducted after online monitoring and surveillance. Meanwhile, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group reported that a 46-year-old man was also arrested for the alleged online sale of a chainsaw without permits in Agusan del Norte. 'We remind the public that the sale and use of regulated tools like chainsaws require proper authorization. Unauthorized online selling of such equipment violates the law and poses risks to our environment. The PNP ACG remains firm in enforcing regulations to protect both public safety and natural resources,' PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Acting Director, Brigadier General Bernard Yang, said. The two suspects are facing charges for violation of the Chain Saw Act (RA 9175) and Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175). In May 2025, a 28-year-old man was arrested in an entrapment operation for allegedly selling a chainsaw online illegally in Alabel, Sarangani. Authorities said the suspect was selling the chainsaw for P15,000 on social media. The suspect did not have a permit that authorized him to sell the regulated equipment. The suspect claimed he was unaware that selling a chainsaw requires a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), selling a chainsaw requires both business registration and a special permit from DENR.
GMA Network
15-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Online lending app company in Pasig raided for alleged harassment
Authorities arrested 168 employees of an online lending app for alleged harassment in a raid of its office at Ortigas Center in Pasig City. According to John Consulta's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' authorities caught the employees engaging in their online lending operations, while some were registering new SIM cards under different names. The operatives also found the mother server and other equipment used for text blasts and collecting loan payments. 'Sa online site namin nasa 15,000 ang complaints. Sa amin pa lang yung. Meron din yung sa NBI at sa PNP. Gumawa kami ng one-stop shop na kasama natin yung NBI, yung PNP. Kasama natin ang SEC para mag cater doon sa mga complaints,' said Gilbert Cruz said, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director. (We received 15,000 complaints in our online site. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also received reports. The three agencies, along with the Securities and Exchange Office, created a one-stop shop to cater to the complaints.) 'Kawawa yung mga kababayan natin na nangangailangan, kumakapit sa patalim, uutang sa kanila. Bukod sa napakataas na ng interest, kung makapaningil, mumurahin, tatakutin ang ating mga kababayan. So, nakita namin na meron talagang namumuno na foreigner. Kailangan managot sila sa ginagawa nila,' NBI Director Jaime Santiago said. (It's sad that our fellow countrymen who are in need are forced to take desperate measures and borrow money from these lenders. Not only are the interest rates high, but the way they collect payments is also abusive, as they curse and threaten. We found that a foreigner is the head. They need to be held accountable for their actions.) According to the NBI and PAOCC, the raided online lending company has the most complaints. Meanwhile, the company's supervisor denied the harassment allegations. 'We don't, hundred percent, we don't directly. We have a policy. We terminate people if there's an identified case,' the supervisor said. However, a search of the premises revealed the scripts used by the company and the pleas of their supposed victims. A former employee reported debtors experienced abuse and harassment from the lending company. 'Pag nangutang ng P1,000, makukuha lang nila P600. Minsan yung P1,000 umaabot ng P5,000,' the former employee said. (When they borrow P1,000, they only receive P600. Sometimes, P1,000 increased to P5,000.) Sometimes, the victims were told they are worthless or they should sell their children to pay off their debts. Authorities confiscated all of the company's equipment that included computers and cellphones. The arrested Filipino employees are facing charges of violating the Data Privacy Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
14-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Garcia: No ACMs with software version 3.4.0 were used in Eleksyon 2025
Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia on Monday refuted claims that the certified and audited software program in the automated counting machines used in the 2025 midterm elections were substituted from version 3.4.0 to version 3.5.0. This, as a group of religious, former officials, and civil society organizations earlier filed a complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against him and other officials over their alleged interference with the software used in the May polls. Garcia said that only the ACMs with 'updated' software version 3.5.0 were used during the elections. Asked if there were any ACMs with software version 3.4.0 utilized, he said: 'Walang walang wala po. Talagang 3.5.0 version tayo.' (There's really none. We only used the 3.5.0 version.) '[Ang 3.4.0 version] ang unang version kasi. After ng mga pagbabago, may mga in-adjust and therefore, biglang ngayon nagkaron ng 3.5.0 version. 'Yun na 'yung na-source code review. 'Yan na rin 'yung na-trusted build, 'yan na 'yung na-deposito sa Bangko Sentral. 'Yan na po lahat ang nilagay sa ating mga makina, 'yung version natin na updated na 3.5.0,' he explained. (The 3.4.0 version was the first version. After the changes and adjustments, we had a 3.5.0 version. That's what underwent the source code review, the trusted build, and the one we deposited at the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The updated version 3.5.0 was also what we put on our machines.) Garcia said that even the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting could attest that the Comelec only used the ACMs with the 3.5.0 software version during the elections. ''Yung mismong PPCRV, naggawa ng report... Ang sabi nga nila, 'We were there.' Nandoon po sila mismo nung nagkaron ng trusted build, nakita nila mismo na 3.5.0 siya, hindi naman siya 3.4.0,' he said. (The PPCRV made a report and said that they were there during the conduct of the trusted build. They saw for themselves that it was the 3.5.0 version used, not the 3.4.0.) 'At saka ang pinaka-best evidence sa ganyan, 'yun bang pinadalang resulta mula sa presinto ng mga makina ay tumutugma doon sa lahat ng natanggap sa mga servers? 'Yung PPCRV 99.909% ang accuracy. 'Yun naman ating random manual audit, 99.9972%,' he added. (And the best evidence to prove that is whether the results sent from the precinct where the machines were matched those received by the servers. The PPCRV said it was 99.909% accurate, while our random manual audit showed 99.9972% accuracy.) In the complaint, Garcia, six Comelec commissioners, and three other people were named respondents. They face 110,000 counts of system interference, representing the 110,000 ACMs used in the 2025 elections. They were also charged with another 55,874,700 counts of system interference, representing the 55,874,700 votes they consolidated in Data Center 3. The complainants said the respondents allegedly violated Paragraph 4, Section 4 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act. This states that system interference is the 'intentional alteration or reckless hindering or interference with the functioning of a computer or computer network, by inputting, transmitting, deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data or program, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right or authority.' —AOL, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
GMA Network
10-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Comelec faces complaint for ‘system interference' in 2025 polls
A group of religious, former officials, and civil society organizations on Thursday filed a complaint against Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia and other officials over their alleged interference with the software used in the 2025 Philippine elections. Among the 16 complainants were lawyer Alex Lacson, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, former Comelec Commissioner Augusto Lagman, former Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines president Franklin Ysaac, and Isabela Vice Mayor Harold Respicio. Aside from Garcia, six Comelec commissioners and three other people were named respondents. They face 110,000 counts of system interference, representing the 110,000 ACMs used in the 2025 elections. They were also charged with another 55,874,700 counts of system interference, representing the 55,874,700 votes they consolidated in Data Center 3. The complainants said the respondents allegedly violated Paragraph 4, Section 4 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act. This states that system interference is the 'intentional alteration or reckless hindering or interference with the functioning of a computer or computer network, by inputting, transmitting, deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data or program, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right or authority.' The complaint filed before the National Bureau of Investigation alleged that Comelec substituted the certified and audited software program in the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) used in the 2025 polls from version 3.4.0 to version 3.5.0. The respondents also allegedly allowed the election results to pass through Data Center 3, which the complainants noted as an 'illegal, unauthorized server.' The complaint also flagged Comelec's move to delete around 5 million votes of vote discrepancy without the participation of the five transparency groups, namely: Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections, the media, the dominant majority political party, and the dominant minority political party. In a statement, Garcia said Comelec is open to any investigation surrounding the 2025 polls, noting that the agency observed an orderly, honest, transparent, peaceful, and credible election. 'Pinagkakatiwalaan po ng sambayanan ang NBI at ganun din po kami sa Komisyon. Lahat po ng mga binabanggit nila ay matagal at paulit-ulit na po naming nasagot at pinabulaanan,' Garcia said. 'Ang mga ganitong hindi pagsang-ayon o salungat ng paninindigan ay atin pong inaasahan bilang isang larawan ng malusog na demokrasya,' he added. (The public trusts the NBI, and we at the Commission do as well. All the issues they've raised have long been addressed and repeatedly denied. We expect these kinds of disagreements or opposing views as a reflection of a healthy democracy.) The national and local elections were held on May 12, 2025.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
27-06-2025
- GMA Network
Pregnant mother nabbed for allegedly pimping 3-year-old kid, sibling
Police arrested a mother in Mabalacat, Pampanga for allegedly pimping her two children and other minors online. According to a report on "24 Oras" by Bea Pinlac, the suspect, who is five months pregnant, was selling nude photos and sensitive videos of her kids — aged three and 14 — to clients online. "'Yung three-year-old na victim natin ay inaalok through online – 'yung malalaswang video at larawan – kaniyang ina. [Siya] 'yung suspek nation," said Police Brigadier General Portia Manalad, chief of the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC). "Ito 'yung mga nude pictures nilang mag-ina na madalas niyang ibigay ay 'yung kanyang anak and then nung nalaman nya na good payor kami, saka niya inoffer yung other minors," added Police Lieutenant Colonel Armelina Manalo of the PNP-WCPC Luzon Field Unit. The parents of the suspect said they are letting the authorities handle the matter. The police said they would continue to search for the other victims who might have been exposed online. "Sa mga ganitong kaso kasi kailangan din natin alisin sa harm 'yung iba pang bata na nandoon sa environment na 'yun, sitwasyon na 'yun o case na 'yun," Manalad said. According to the police, the suspect charges clients, who include foreigners, at least P2,000 for every photo or video of the children. "Usually ang inaalok ng nanay ay 'yung mga foreign national o kaya mga dayuhan na maaaring maka-access through online at maaaring makabili o merong pera na pwedeng pambili nitong ganitong images o kaya video," Manalad said. The police officer said jails have a special setup for pregnant detainees. "Makakaasa rin na kung ano 'yung nararapat na pangangalaga ay mabibigay sa kaniya lalong-lalo na sa kanyang kalagayan ngayon," Manalad added. The suspect did not comment. She is facing complaints for violating the law against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, and for trafficking in persons in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
