DICT fund mess stalls Nat’l Cybersecurity Plan

The beleaguered Department of Information and Communications (DICT) has spurred investigations on allegations of the misuse of intelligence funds.

Totaling to PhP300 million, DICT advanced PhP100 million each on November 22, December 2 and December 17, allegedly to Secretary Gregorio Honasan in his name as instructed.

The House of Representative lawmakers filed House Resolution 702 directing the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to conduct an investigation.

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), through Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, also expressed the view that if need be, it is the PACC which is one body that could conduct an investigation.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, in the meantime, called for an oversight committee on intelligence and confidential funds to look not only into the allegations on the misuse of funds against DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan but also on other agency-recipients of billions of pesos of so-called intel funds.

DICT defended the use of intel funds to address urgently the cybersecurity problems in the context of using, at the outmost, the specific means of protecting national security through the National Cybersecurity Plan (NCP) 2020.

An immediate cyber security concern is the alleged threat that DITO Telecommunity’s partnership with China state-owned ChinaTel poses.

Legislators recognize ChinaTel’s ability to violate our national security. Led by Senator Pangilinan, it was pointed out that “China’s National Intelligence Law states that any organization or citizen shall support, assist and cooperate with State Intelligence work in accordance with the Law”.

It is in managing critical info-structure risks that ChinaTel, for one, is potentially in a position to execute such as in the breach of security – national and personal. Usec Rio said, in introducing the NCP 2020, that “the DICT is providing a roadmap for ICT stakeholders to secure their online environment”. Rio added that “there is no physical or economic security without cyber security and the government is at the forefront of protecting every Filipino in cyberspace”.

It has been clarified though by Undersecretary Eliseo Rio that regarding the Php300 million disbursed, DICT has no use for it or the mandate to conduct surveillance or intelligence activities.

DICT’s role, according to Rio, is clear in specifically strengthening critical infostructure for resiliency and using security measures among businesses to protect, prevent, respond and recover from cyber attacks.

US models in warding off attacks especially from Chinese hackers are concrete examples to learn from and to follow.