TAGUIG, Philippines — Members of the Supreme Court’s Special Committee on Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence received a briefing on the mandate of operations of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) pursuant to RA 10175.
On March 21, the SC Committee, with Court of Appeals Associate Justices Hon. Jose Lorenzo Dela Rosa and Hon. Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan visited the National Cybercrime Hub in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
Members of the following organizations were also present during the meeting:
- The Office of the Chief Justice, Regional Trial Courts, and Metropolitan Trial Courts
- Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group
- National Bureau of Investigation
- University of the Philippine Law Center, Technology Law and Policy Program
The visit follows the incident when the SC fell victim to fake news. The Committee is working to amend the Rules on Cybercrime Warrants.
Also, the Department of Justice has formed a technical working group to enhance Cybercrime Investigation and Prosecution guidelines.
CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos welcomed the Supreme Court members.
“This is a chance for us to demonstrate to the judiciary the modern techniques and technologies available for law enforcers in the conduct of their mandates,” he said.
Their visit is also an opportune time to explain to the judiciary the complexity of electronic evidence.
The chain of custody of evidence was among the Supreme Court Committee’s major issues.
CICC agents explained that electronic evidence is usually in law enforcers’ custody. However, they request assistance from the CICC because of its advanced tools.
Moreover, the cybercrime agency briefed the SC on various tools for preventing and suppressing cybercrime.
These included the anti-deepfake detector, chainalysis, IMSI detector, and social media listening and monitoring platforms.