‘NAT’L SECURITY THREAT’
A private contractor refused to turn over the personal data of passport applicants after its contract was terminated
Manila -- Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said on Monday, January 14, that the passport data loss by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) can be considered as a “national security threat.”
“Pwede, kasi napakarami nyan (nawalang data). Not only threat to national security but also on the threat of our identities na napakaraming Pilipino na kumuha ng passport na andun lahat ang iyong information. That is one threat. Totoo yung sabi mo it can be a threat to national security,” Albayalde said in a press conference in Camp Crame.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, said the DFA is already working on the matter.
“We should let DFA explain how
“We should let DFA explain how this happened. Hintay tayo ng update. I am sure that with this experience, the DFA would not allow its repetition in the future,” he said.
Earlier, DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said a private contractor refused to turn over the personal data of passport applicants after its contract was terminated. The DFA chief ’s revelation was then followed by a requirement for those renewing passports to submit birth certificates.
Albayalde said they have yet to receive a request from any concerned agency to help resolve the matter, but he said they were willing to help in any way they can.
“Yes, we will be very much willing to help them. Sabi ko nga it can be a threat to national security and also to the privacy of individuals concerned,” Albayalde said.
“We have the ACG (Anti-Cyber Crime Group) and the ITMS (Information Technology Management Service) and DICTM (Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management) natin na pwedeng tumulong and of course ‘yung ating CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) kung kinakailangan talaga magkaroon ng active police operations,” he said. Meanwhile, Malacañang on Monday, January 14, expressed dismay over the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) disclosure that a terminated passport contractor had caused the non-availability of personal data of Philippine passport holders.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the recent revelation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoto Locsin with regard to supposed passport data breach was a “serious and grave matter.”
“We are one with the Filipino people in their quest for truth and so we will not treat this issue lightly,” Panelo said in a statement.
Panelo said applicants should be encumbered by the agency’s new requirement.
“Applicants should not be burdened by submitting original copies of their certificates of live birth, obtaining which requires another application process before the Philippine Statistics Authority, to renew their passports just because the producer lost their relevant data,” the Palace official said.
“The submission of the old or current passport which the applicant seeks to renew should suffice for the purpose. The ongoing practice is not only cumbersome to everyone affected but is a form of red tape which this administration frowns upon and will not tolerate,” he added.
The supposed passport data breach raised worry among the public, prompting the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to conduct an investigation on the issue.
Over the weekend, NPC commissioner Raymund Librado said the commission would summon DFA officials, other concerned agencies, and the unnamed contractor to shed light on the matter.
The NPC, created through the Data Privacy Act of 2012, is mandated to ensure that information and communications system in the government and the private sector are protected. /